


Moonlight Station

by pretentious_git



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: AsaNoya - Freeform, Bokuaka - Freeform, Bond AU - Freeform, Haikyuu - Freeform, I just want everyone to know that no one kills themselves, I swear, KageHina - Freeform, KuroKen - Freeform, M/M, Slow Burn, Spirit AU, Spirit World, Tsukiyama - Freeform, and kageyama is their intern, author!Tsukishima, bokuakakurotsuki run a sports magazine company, daisuga - Freeform, haikyuu!! - Freeform, suicide forest, tags might be added, though this takes place in a suicide forest it's not that depressing I swear, tsukki's a mortal, yama is a spirit, yamatsuki
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-16
Updated: 2017-04-14
Packaged: 2018-09-08 21:08:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 176,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8862106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pretentious_git/pseuds/pretentious_git
Summary: Tsukishima just moved to a new place in Japan and so it happens his apartment is right next to a suicide forest. There he meets Yamaguchi, a spirit who's known as being terrible at his job in 'saving the souls' of humans that come into the forest to die. In the land of Spirits, everything is run by intention. Spirits may not touch humans, for that would turn them into vengeful spirits. Spirits must be cautious of vengeful spirits, for if touched, they will be transformed as well. But what if a human reached out?A fateful incident drags Tsukishima into Yamaguchi's spirit world - a place Tsukishima so desperately wants to be free from. But with Yamaguchi starting a domino effect of events that could plunge their entire world into darkness, the only way to protect everyone they care for is by understanding that no matter who they are or which side of the mortality barrier they come from, even the weak have the power to save.





	1. Nice to Meet You; Don't Come Back

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! My name is Juni! (Or a variety of other things depending on who you are and what you know me by.) This is my first Haikyuu!! fic and I'm actually ridiculously excited. I absolutely adore this pairing with all my heart and I've always imagined Yamaguchi in a kimono because I think it fits him very nicely. 
> 
> I'm going to tell you now that I'm notorious for slacking off with my writing so if i'm ever taking too long please bombard me with reminders. 
> 
> Other than that, I hope you enjoy :)  
> (Rating might go up)

Tsukishima’s grip on the bottle in his hand tightened as he blindly stumbled on a root. He swore as he barely saved himself from a fall by throwing his other hand out to grip the tree’s trunk.

            Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea to go traipsing through the forest at night with alcohol running through his veins but he didn’t exactly have a choice. It was better than unintentionally picking a fight at work or sitting in his room moping the evening away.

            Plus, _he_ was still at home.

            He wasn’t exactly drunk, but he wasn’t going to argue that he was completely sober either. Despite the night’s chill, he felt pleasantly buzzed enough to ignore the fact that he was dressed in simply his thin shirt and sweater. The forest didn’t feel as alive as a forest could be at night, but then again, Tsukishima never really took walks at close to one in the morning.

            The moonlight was barely filtering through the trees’ heavy foliage and the only rustling that reached Tsukishima’s ears were made by his own feet. On any other night with a decent level of sobriety, it would’ve been a bit creepy. But for now, Tsukishima just wanted quiet.

            Tsukishima didn’t drink normally unless it was for a good reason. Of course, there was the exception of Kuroo dragging everyone at work out for the night and forcing liquor down their throats every once in a while. But the point was that he didn’t drink often. Tonight definitely had a ‘good reason.’

            Akiteru had reappeared into Tsukishima’s life out of the blue a few weeks ago, throwing himself at Tsukishima and waxing poetic about having missed his younger brother terribly. Tsukishima didn’t particularly care that Akiteru was back so long as he didn’t act like the overbearing older brother he was when they were younger. It wasn’t that they were extremely close or distant as kids, but when Akiteru left to go pursue his career, dropping all communication with their family for a few years, they just faded apart.

            Fortunately, Akiteru left Tsukishima to do his own thing, claiming that he wanted to restart his life and having missed his family, sought out Tsukishima to simply be around him. It was nice, at first, having someone else in the apartment with him. Tsukishima had just kicked off his writing career, his name finally getting into more bookstores than they had before. He had moved to this part of Japan – one closer to the edges of the big city – because he knew that it was good for an author to have fresh air when writing.

            That, and his old friends from college offered him a job in a company they just founded that published a small sports magazine that, surprisingly, had a decent amount of readers.

            The move was easy and the apartment was ridiculously cheap. The complex was run by an older man that was genuinely surprised when Tsukishima seemed more than willing to rent out an apartment which was stuffed in the back of town, almost on the edge of a forest that spanned for what seemed like miles. It was everything Tsukishima wanted and more. He had very little neighbours, aside from a wizened lady and her cat and a middle-aged couple that ignored him just as he ignored them. He had a car to bring him to work which wasn’t too far away and the town had enough amenities to keep any young man entertained should Tsukishima want entertainment. He had no one to bother him as he wrote or thought and even when Akiteru moved in, claiming he’d rather live with Tsukishima for a bit than get his own place, it didn’t change the peaceful atmosphere that he had established around himself.

            Everything in Tsukishima’s life was going fine.

            At least, until he found out that Akiteru fucked up.

            _Really_ fucked up.

            It happened when he found a couple of envelopes in the mail addressed to Akiteru. They looked important but it wasn’t his place to go opening other people’s letters. Fortunately, he didn’t have to wonder about their contents because when he was cleaning out the trash, he found the letters crumpled up and discarded.

            They were invoices, three of them, each with an alarming amount of money listed in the corner. At first Tsukishima wanted to believe they were scams because there was no way in hell his accomplished businessman of a brother would willingly toss out important documents such as bank invoices. But the papers were in his hands and they were from banks that Tsukishima knew were not fakes. He ended up slipping them into his pockets before he tossed the bags out, hiding them in a drawer in his room.

            Akiteru didn’t mention it the next day nor did he show any change in his demeanor that would’ve let Tsukishima onto his situation. Tsukishima didn’t bother to bring it up either, having been persuaded to believe by his brother that he had a well-paying job in town and that soon he’d be ‘out of his little brother’s hair.’

            However, when more letters appeared in the trash and the debt count began to steadily rise higher and higher, Tsukishima knew for sure that Akiteru’s cheerful demeanor and joyful ‘work was great!’ phrase each day was like a badly painted on mask.

            When Tsukishima confronted Akiteru with the crumpled up letters and invoices, it almost broke _him_ to watch his brother fall to the ground. The guilt, shame and horror combined into one emotion on his face: the look of a broken man. Akiteru tried to explain what was going on, how his job in Tokyo didn’t work out, but to Tsukishima he could only register one thing. His brother had lied about being successful.

            Akiteru apparently did _not_ have a job in Tsukishima’s current resident town, instead still looking for one all this time. The money he claimed to have earned had been squandered for reasons that Tsukishima all but tuned out when Akiteru blubbered excuses. And he was living with _Tsukishima_ because Akiteru couldn’t afford his own damn place to live.

            The definition of pathetic was right in front of him, asking for forgiveness and trying to assure Tsukishima that he would most definitely find a job. It would only be for a little while longer, Akiteru had promised, and as soon as he found something steady he wouldn’t bother Tsukishima again.

            But when he threw the remaining invoices at Akiteru in silence, letting his brother see for himself the piled up amount of debts he had accumulated, Akiteru fell quiet as well. The proof was in front of them both: he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

            If Tsukishima was anyone else, he might have kicked his brother to the curb yelling about how he was a freeloader and that Tsukishima wasn’t someone he could impose on. If Tsukishima was anyone else, he’d call his parents and force Akiteru to tell them his situation and ask _them_ for help. If Tsukishima was anyone else he’d…

            There were a lot of things Tsukishima could’ve done, but didn’t. Instead, all he did was tell Akiteru that he _wasn’t_ going to kick him out and that he had better get a job soon. As mild as his words might’ve sounded, it still didn’t take away from the fact that Akiteru was fully aware of the death glare in his eyes as Tsukishima walked stiffly to the fridge and grabbed for the closest bottle of liquor – a pack he only kept for stressful evenings. Before slamming the door to his small apartment, he made sure Akiteru got another good look of his fury-filled face before saying: _‘I looked up to you. I looked up to you for years and_ this _is what I get when you finally come back?’_

So now here he was, tipsy and aggravated, walking through a forest where there could be robbers or druggies or maybe even perverts lurking behind trees. It didn’t help that with every step he took deeper and farther away from the streets, his head felt like it was being filled with the clanging of bells.

            Glowering at the half-empty bottle in his hand, Tsukishima rubbed his temples aggressively, trying to relieve the ache. The bells were fucking _loud_. And he wasn’t even that drunk. In fact, Tsukishima was actually pretty damn proud that he could hold his liquor well.

            So what the _hell_ was making it seem as if fucking gongs were set up right next to his ears?

            With every step he took the clanging got louder and louder until Tsukishima staggered sideways, clutching at a tree to make sure he stayed upright.

            _This is ridiculous,_ he thought as he gritted his teeth and clenched his eyes. _I can’t even hear myself think._

            He had to get out and take medicine or else he’d pass out on the ground right then and there. But he couldn’t even remember which direction to turn in order to go back the way he came.

            _Was it… Left?_

            He shifted his body and took a trembling step forward, body hunched in pain when all the clanging exploded into silence as if he had just stepped into a massive bubble.

            POP!

            Tsukishima fell to the ground on all fours, gasping in breath as if he had just resurfaced from being under the water for too long. The forest’s floor swam before his eyes for a bit but once he was able to understand his position, the sounds reaching his ears were _definitely_ not the sound of bells.

            There was yelling coming from farther into the forest, a set of three different voices that were shouting not so pretty words and slurs. Confusion filled Tsukishima’s chest as he tried to understand what was going on. Their words were still distant, too far for him to make out any actual substance other than expletives. But the bells…where were the bells?

            Before he could register what he was thinking, Tsukishima hauled himself up from the ground, swaying once before righting himself with a determined grunt. He honed in on the voices and set off towards them, realizing that there was no more pounding sounds in his head nor did he feel like he was being crushed under the weight of volume. Warily glancing at the bottle in his hand, he wondered what exactly he was drinking.

            Maybe he should toss the rest of the pack out when he got back home.

            Following the voices, he grew closer and closer to the source of them, their conversation becoming clear.

            It sounded as if they were taunting and beating up another person – something that made Tsukishima’s blood immediately boil. But he clamped the feeling down because life had taught him that it was better to confront every issue as stoically as possible in order to not let anything surprise him.

            Well, that life lesson certainly proved useful in not punching Akiteru in the face that evening.

            “You’re so _weak_!” Was a shout made by a rough, low voice that made Tsukishima almost ‘tch’ out of instinct. People who spoke like that, saying _words_ like that, were usually the weak ones. He had characters like that aplenty in his stories.

            “I can’t believe they made you a recruiter,” came another. The third voice was wildly laughing. “Can’t believe they think _you_ can recruit!”

            “You’ve got more fails than successes and they still haven’t give you the boot! Isn’t that just sweet of them?”

            “Taking you in and shit even though you don’t do anything in return?”

            Their words confused Tsukishima but it didn’t stop him from stepping around the tree that blocked his view from the scene. His father had told him once that he shouldn’t get himself involved in fights that he didn’t start. But Tsukishima blamed the alcohol for this one. Plus, he had a little bit of steam to let loose anyway. What’s a few punches here and there going to do but relieve some tension?

            Especially if his opponents proved to be just weak... Ghosts?

            When Tsukishima stepped out into the mini clearing, he found himself frozen in his spot and blinking rapidly. There were four people before him, as expected, but they didn’t seem like typical muggers and a poor man getting harassed.

            Instead, the three men standing in front of a fallen figure were almost ethereal, a faint blueish wisp surrounding their entire bodies. They looked just on the verge of see-through, but solid enough that Tsukishima’s mind felt like it was working overtime just to clarify the images in his head. They didn’t wear modern clothes but instead had traditional Japanese working clothes, as if they had just stepped out of a history textbook given in schools.

            However, the expressions on their faces looked exactly like the ones that used to bully Tsukishima at school. _That_ , at least, he was familiar with.

            The wispy part…Ah, well. He was drinking some fucked up alcohol anyway.

            The attackers were already staring at him, their faces a mix of shock and intrigue. Behind them, Tsukishima could see another figure surrounded with the same wispy light shifting on the ground and a passing thought hoped that the other person wasn’t beaten up too badly. He couldn’t drive someone to the hospital while apparently drunk off his ass.

            “Hey,” he said uselessly, seeing as how the three had already turned completely towards him, crossing their arms and snickering. It would’ve been funny seeing as how they were dressed so ancient if it weren’t for the fact that Tsukishima suddenly realized that he really, _really_ couldn’t go three against one while drunk. “Get the hell away from him.”

            “Oh?” Said the one in the middle who proved to be the leader of their mini pack as the others snickered. “You’re trying to defend this guy?” He jerked his thumb backwards. They shifted and Tsukishima could suddenly see another man on the ground, curled up in pain. But instead of wearing the traditional working clothes as his attackers wore, he was dressed in a men’s kimono.

            _The fuck are these guys?_ Tsukishima thought as he eyed the group before him and trying to strategize. _I could run, but I’d end up leaving this guy behind. I could fight, but I’d…unfortunately…get my ass kicked._

            “Tch,” Tsukishima muttered at his limited options. “I’m not trying to do anything,” he said, his words stirring movement from the man on the ground. He saw a mop of dark hair and a spray of freckles. He tried to avoid the hope that was no doubt in the other’s eyes. Tsukishima was hoping for himself that he’d get out of this situation with minimal damage. “All I’m saying is that what you guys are doing is fucking lame.”

            “Excuse me?” the guy to the right said, balling his hands into fists and taking a step forward. But he was held back by the leader who was wearing a shit-eating grin.

            “Leave it, Takao,” he said. “It’s not like this guy here can do much anyway. In fact, we’re getting in the way of Yamaguchi’s job, aren’t we?”

            Takao stepped back as the leader turned back to the man on the ground. “Oi, you’re supposed to be working, aren’t you? Come on then, get up and work.”

            Tsukishima watched as the third guy leaned over slightly and spat in his face. “You’re recruiting tonight, aren’t you? Well, here’s a mortal for ya. Show us you can recruit and not fuck it up like all the other times. You do this and we’ll leave you alone, how ‘bout?”

            _Mortal?_

            The last straw was when the leader pulled his leg back and aimed a kick right into the side of the fallen man. He shouted in pain and before Tsukishima knew it, he was wheeling his arm and the liquor bottle was flying, flying…

            Flying right at and _through_ their leader.

            “What the-“

            “Hey!”

            Tsukishima shook his head, not wanting to think too hard about what just happened. _It’s the alcohol, it’s the alcohol,_ He told himself, running forward. With fists bared and ready to fight he almost stopped in surprised confusion when immediately, the three attackers stumbled _away_ from him, shouting in surprise.

            Changing tactics immediately, Tsukishima set his eyes on the fallen man before him who was struggling to pull something out from something strapped to his side. He saw a glint of metal but soon he was already quite close.

            “Let’s go!” He yelled, ready to yank him up and start running. Brown eyes widened and instead of happiness, Tsukishima was shocked to see them fill with horror. _I’m not the bad guy,_ he wanted to hiss but his mouth wasn’t connecting with his brain fast enough.

            An arm lifted up, almost as if it were trying to ward Tsukishima back but all he could think of was that it was lucky for them that their attackers backed off. Now if they ran fast enough they could evade them.

            Tsukishima reached out-

            “NO, DON’T!” A voice so loud and clear.

            -clasped his wrist and yanked.

            The forest stilled.

            “Let’s go!” Tsukishima said desperately, trying to yank the other man off the ground. “Just get up!” He was trying so hard, _so fucking hard_ , but everyone was making this entire situation really difficult. The horror in the other’s face was quickly morphing into panic and _yes_ , there would be a reason for them to panic if he didn’t get off his ass and run.

            He glanced up to see if they were about to get jumped when he realized that aside from him, no one in the clearing was moving.

            Slowly, he stopped moving as well. “Wha-“

            “What the fuck, Yamaguchi,” hissed the leader, several steps away and with eyes filled with fear.

            Tsukishima looked down to see Yamaguchi nearly in tears. The other man’s eyes were flickering quickly between the wrist he was trying to free from Tsukishima’s iron grip to Tsukishima himself, terror in his eyes. Confusion pulsed within Tsukishima’s chest but all he could do was tighten his hold, watching as Yamaguchi’s eyes widened even more.

            “D-Don’t-“

            “Ohhhh man,” the second one said, backing up already and shaking his head. “Yamaguchi you screwed up big time. Big. Time.”

            Tsukishima watched in confusion as he turned around and sprinted away. The third man followed without question, biting his nails worriedly and the leader waited a few seconds, casting Yamaguchi a deviously amused expression.

            “Think they’re going to keep you after this? Yamaguchi, you just did the exact _opposite_ of what you’re supposed to do.” He turned away, walking quickly through the trees. “Good luck figuring that out.”

            Suddenly, the clearing was devoid of any noise other than Yamaguchi’s breathing which sounded like he was falling deeper and deeper into hysteria. Tsukishima sharply looked down and dropped to his knees, hands out to help Yamaguchi off the ground. But the other man scrambled away immediately, gasping as soon as Tsukishima let go of his wrist.

            “Okay, seriously, what the hell just-“

            “Please back away.” Yamaguchi’s voice was firm and cold and he looked even more terrified of Tsukishima than he did of his attackers.

            Slightly wounded because _excuse me but I just saved your life_ , he held his hands up in surrender. Whatever this guy’s problem was, he wasn’t having it. He was getting beaten up and instead of _thanking_ Tsukishima for getting those guys out of their faces, he was telling him to back the hell up.

            Rude.

            “Tch,” he said, turning his head away. “I don’t know what you want but you’re letting out some seriously mixed vibes on getting saved. I don’t even get a thanks, at least?”

            Yamaguchi’s eyes seemed to be swirling with emotions and Tsukishima could easily pick out the most prominent ones: fear and hesitance.

            Was he _really_ that bad of a knight in shining armour? Christ.

            “…I’d thank you but-“

            “I’m cutting you off before you invalidate your ‘thanks’.” He scowled at Yamaguchi’s surprised expression. “Now what the hell just happened? Who were those guys? And who are you? And why were they beating your ass up?” It wasn’t normally like Tsukishima to ask so many questions but the situation was just so _odd_ and he was fully aware that he wasn’t so intimidating that he’d scare off _three_ guys at once.

            Plus… “And what are you? You look like a damn ghost.”

            Yamaguchi’s mouth gaped open and shut for a bit as if he were struggling to find the words but Tsukishima beat him to it again, shaking his head.

            “You know what, it’s a stupid question. I’ve had too much to drink. I’m hallucinating, I swear.” He glowered at the ground before screwing his eyes shut, taking a deep breathe. When he reopened his eyes Yamaguchi was still sitting some ways from him, staring at him with extreme caution.

            “I’m drunk, right?” He asked, unsure what he was doing, trying to justify his vision by someone else. Because Yamaguchi _still_ looked like he was being surrounded with the wispy blue smoke that seemed to radiate from his entire body. Which…was still covered in a traditional Japanese kimono. “Please tell me I’m drunk and that you’re not smoking.”

            Yamaguchi looked torn between responses and Tsukishima wanted to know what was so hard about telling a drunk person they were drunk but eventually he got a nod and a wavering smile. “You’re extremely drunk and the bottle you threw earlier missed horribly.”

            Tsukishima sighed in relief.

            “Good.” He got up and brushed himself off, looking around the area to see if the attackers truly did leave. “Honestly you could probably tell me anything and I’d believe you,” he muttered. “This whole day’s been fucked up anyway.”

            He turned to Yamaguchi and offered his hand, his glare deepening when the other seemed to shrink away. “Seriously. You’re hurt. I’m surprised you were even able to back up that fast.”

            Yamaguchi worried his bottom lip a bit before reaching out and hesitantly grasping Tsukishima’s hand. Firmly, he pulled him off the ground. “I-I… I heal quickly,” was the quiet response.

            Tsukishima blinked at him for a moment, trying to understand how someone could heal from getting beaten black and blue to normal in just a few minutes. He then shook his head. “Whatever. Nothing is a lie right now,” he reminded himself.

            They stood like that for a few seconds, Yamaguchi’s eyes glancing around while Tsukishima tried to rub the dirt off his hands from when he fell to the ground.

            “You should-“

            “So who-“

            They paused, staring at each other before Yamaguchi shook his head and gestured to Tsukishima. “You go.”

            Pursing his lips, Tsukishima simply shrugged. “So who were those guys? You never answered. What’d you do to them that was so bad?”

            It was an intense question right off the bat, Tsukishima was aware, but there was no point in saving a person if you didn’t even know what you were saving them for. Yamaguchi looked as if he were pained by just remembering and he sighed deeply. “They were Edgesiders. I didn’t really do anything but… be me, I suppose.”

            “Lame reason.”

            “What?”

            Tsukishima quirked a single brow. “I said, lame reason. What have they got against someone being who they are?”

            Yamaguchi’s eyes seemed to be searching Tsukishima’s face after that answer and in a way he felt almost violated. He’d never seen a pair of eyes try and probe into him so intensely as Yamaguchi’s were now. Even Kuroo knew when it was too much.

            “I mean, you’re right. But we… have the same job. And I’m not particularly good at what I do.”

            “Does it affect how they do their own job?”

            Yamaguchi pursed his lips and thought about it, a wispy finger coming up to rub at his lower lip. “Not really. They work in a different area with different procedures.”

            “So why do they care?”

            His hand fell away from his lip. “Because I’m easy to pick on.”

            Tsukishima’s face slightly pinched into a frown as he stared at the smaller man before him. Aside from the light blue swirling around him, he didn’t look like anything other than an insecure young man. With wide eyes that seemed to be actively searching Tsukishima and his surroundings, he had an open face with expressions that were ridiculously easy to read. A tuft of hair stuck straight up from his head but what drew Tsukishima in were the freckles that dotted his cheeks lightly, almost like dust that wouldn’t be swept away.

            “Seems kind of moot judging by the fact that you have that.”

            Yamaguchi’s eyes followed Tsukishima’s gaze and when they rested on the sheathes that looked like they carried small daggers, he startled. “I- uh,”

            “No, I get it. Self defense. I’m assuming you just suck at it.”

            “Hey-!”

            “But at least you have it.” Tsukishima turned his head away. “If something like that happens again, don’t be afraid to use whatever you have.” Part of him felt a bit pissed that all he had on him was a bottle that apparently, he missed his target horribly with, but his words rang true. “Even if it’s nothing, your hands can save.”

            _What am I saying?_ Tsukishima thought, rubbing his face while Yamaguchi stood silently next to him. _I bet none of this makes sense. I shouldn’t be talking drunk. Kuroo said I was an emotional drunk, not a philosophical one._

            “You should go.”

            Tsukishima jerked his head up, staring at the other man who had a grim expression set on his face. He was clutching at his wrist in front of him while staring at Tsukishima with determination in his eyes.

            “What?” He was kicking him to the curb that rudely? First, Tsukishima saves this guy’s ass from getting kicked and not only that, but Yamaguchi was apparently _armed_. Talk about weak. Second, he had to pester for a ‘thank you’. Now he was being told to leave?

            Yamaguchi’s expression didn’t falter. “You should go. Thank you for saving me, I really mean it. But you shouldn’t be here and it’s late. You should go.”

            He wasn’t even able to do anything other than stare. Was this guy joking? Did he really think Tsukishima would just leave this weak, very much alone guy alone in a freaking forest right after he was practically assaulted? Also, why isn’t this guy currently dying in pain? He seriously couldn’t have healed _that_ fast, right?

            “You’re kidding,” Tsukishima said flatly. Yamaguchi looked startled at his tone. “You think I’m just going to leave you in the middle of the forest at night? Where do you live? I’ll walk you back.”

            “N-No!” Yamaguchi cried out, holding his hands up. “It’s fine. Really. I live around the area here so it’s really easy for me to go back. I’m fine.”

            Tsukishima cast a look around, narrowing his eyes in an attempt to squint through the trees.

            Nope.

            No paths around.

            Not even a sign.

            “You’re lying. Let me walk you back.”

            Glancing back, he saw Yamaguchi look paler by the second. “You look like you’re going to faint. No way I’m leaving you alone now. Just…It’s fine, you don’t have to offer me a drink in thanks or whatever. I’ll just make sure you get back without getting jumped again.”

            Yamaguchi fidgeted for a few seconds, leaving Tsukishima to think just how bad was it to walk around with an extra person. _This guy is seriously, seriously weird._ But when Yamaguchi acquiesced with a small nod of his head, Tsukishima nodded in return.

            “You’re still drunk though, right?”

            The question caught him off guard. He stared at the other man and tried blinking a few times. No, the blue wisps still hadn’t left.

            “Well, you still look like a ghost so I’m going to assume so.”

            Cracking a small smile at that, Yamaguchi nodded and turned around. “It’s just over here.”

            -----

            Apparently, what Kuroo did _not_ tell him was that he was a talkative drunk. As they walked (what seemed to be deeper) into the forest, Yamaguchi would ask a single question that set Tsukishima’s mouth on a roll. All Tsukishima had gotten out of the other man was that he lived around the area and his family was very traditional, hence the kimono despite it being the 21 st century. Yamaguchi had nothing against being ‘behind the times’ and Tsukishima learned that the sheathes at his sides were actually holding _tantos_ , ancient weapons indeed.

            “Do you prefer writing those sports articles or your own stories?”

            Tsukishima snorted, shooting Yamaguchi a look. “Is that even a question? My own, of course. I only write articles for the magazine because our company is small and each person specializes in one thing.” 

            “What do your coworkers do?”

            “They were classmates of mine back in university. We all played on the volleyball team together which is probably why we focus so much on volleyball players in our editions. Bokuto’s chief manager with Akaashi doing editorials. Kuroo is in design and practically makes the entire magazine look the way it is. Kageyama is our intern and he goes with Akaashi to interviews. I write the articles. Bukoto and Akaashi decided to start up the company a few years after graduating and they dragged me and Kuroo into it once they realized we were still in Japan.”

            “Still in Japan?”

            Tsukishima nodded, sighing. He looked upwards at the sky that was barely visible through the trees. No stars tonight, it seemed. “I wanted to go to the states to start a writing career there and Kuroo was going to move to Europe for the hell of it. Both of our plans fell through and now here we are.”     

            He didn’t have to look to know that Yamaguchi had turned his head to look at him, his eyes no doubt spelling out ‘Why?’

            “Guess…Japan’s not too bad.”

            A small chuckle made him glance over and he saw Yamaguchi staring ahead, a faint smile on his lips. “It’s not. It’s a lovely country. I could never leave; I have too much family here.”

            The mention of family made Tsukishima grimace and turn away, flashbacks of what happened at home flooding his mind again. After walking Yamaguchi back, he’d have to go home to Akiteru and that wasn’t something he wanted to think about. Yes, he had calmed down quite a bit and he wasn’t going to seek out his brother to deck him in the face, but just knowing what he’d done still stung.

            As if Yamaguchi could feel the tension in the air shift, he turned to look at Tsukishima. “Do you have family here?” The silence Tsukishima provided was enough for him to nod. “I’m sure you two will work it out.”

            Startled, Tsukishima stopped walking to stare at him. “I-I don’t-“ Yamaguchi’s kind stare made him feel even smaller. “How did you know?”

            With a one-shouldered shrug, the smaller man kept walking with his hands shoved into his kimono’s sleeves. He looked like a young old man, if that made any sense. “It’s my job to read into peoples’ problems and understand their weight.”

            That…made no sense.

            “What are you talking about?” Tsukishima asked, catching up to him. “Understand their weight? What are you, a therapist?”

            With brows furrowed, Yamaguchi hummed as he thought up a reply. “No, not really. But a part of my job description is that I’m supposed to understand people like you.”

            Tsukishima wanted to reach out and just stop Yamaguchi and make him _explain_ but his legs kept moving and his mouth kept spitting out words.

            “People like me?”

            Yamaguchi looked at him out of the corner of his eyes. “Yes. Why are you here?”

            “Here? Where?”

            The exasperated look almost made Tsukishima just stop himself but Yamaguchi went on to clarify. “I meant here. In this forest. What’s your reason to-“

            “Because I needed to clear my head.”

            At that, Yamaguchi paused to stare at Tsukishima in surprise. “What?”

            Tsukishima shot him a look. “What, is it so uncommon to hear about people taking walks at night to clear their heads? I had a fight with my brother, alright? And I went out here to just think things out before I went back home.”

            Brown eyes blinked rapidly in shock. “So-“

            “I know, it’s literally the dead of night. I mean, I _would’ve_ gone back sooner if I didn’t have to save your weak ass from getting pummeled. Not like it was a hassle, or anything.”

            _Not like the fact that your wispy aura makes me so confused, the fact that the kimono looks interesting on you, and the freckles dotting your cheeks are mesmerizing._

            Alcohol. It was the alcohol.

            “I- Oh,” Yamaguchi breathed in what sounded like faint surprise, turning away to look into the trees. “I see. That’s right, you said you just moved here.”

            Squinting at him suspiciously, Tsukishima decided to leave it be as he shrugged. “That’s right. But you didn’t answer my question. What do you mean, ‘people like me?’”

            Biting his lower lip, Yamaguchi stared at him for a bit before shaking his head. Once again, those brown eyes seemed as if they were reaching towards Tsukishima, reaching to break down whatever walls he had erected around himself. He couldn’t understand what about that gaze was so intense, why it felt as if he wanted to spill even his darkest secrets, but regardless, he was glad when Yamaguchi turned away.

            “Just an expression for people who don’t work my job. This is my stop.”

            Tsukishima blinked at the two contrasting statements. Disregarding the first one, he looked around at the forest that looked almost exactly like the area he had found Yamaguchi in. “There’s nothing here.”

            Yamaguchi looked slightly uncomfortable, fiddling with the edges of his sleeves. “It looks like that, but it’s fine. You can head back now. I’ve got it from here.”

            “There is literally nothing here.”

            “Yes, but-“

            “I’m sure it’s not that far away.” Tsukishima began to walk again, ignoring the protests of the man behind him. “I’ll go home once I’m sure no one’s going to come out of a bush and-“

            “No, seriously, please don’t-“

            “…jump you.”

            As soon as Tsukishima passed a small cluster of trees, he was struck by the oddest image ever. He had stepped into another clearing, this one much bigger than the one Yamaguchi had been being beaten up in. The only difference was that this clearing had a small train station right in the middle of it with tracks stretching left and right. But the oddest part about the station was not necessarily the fact that it was _there_ but the fact that it glowed with a silvery light and that the entire thing was radiating the same blue wisps that Yamaguchi had.

            It looked like any normal train station but with more of a traditional theme. There were no ticket kiosks, instead with a small half-door that read ‘TICKETS’ off to the side. Rickety looking benches were set up on either side of the main door that led into the building. There wasn’t a single person there and when Tsukishima looked upwards at the sign posted on the roof of the small building, he read ‘Moonlight Station.’

            _Everything_ had blue wisps.

            “What… What is this?” He heard Yamaguchi run up behind him, stuttering words and trying to find a way to explain. Tsukishima turned to him, unsure whether to feel afraid or confused at what was definitely a paranormal scene before him. “What the fuck-“

            Yamaguchi reached out and gripped his wrist, trying to pull him backwards. Confused as all hell, Tsukishima stumbled away from the station with him.

            “I’m telling you, you need to go. It’s not right for you to be here.” Yamaguchi’s voice was desperate and his eyes kept darting from Tsukishima to the station and back to the forest. Tsukishima turned his head around in an attempt to look again but a hand was pressing against his cheek and he stiffened when he realized that Yamaguchi was trying to force him to look away.

            His hand felt cold and wrong.

            So so so wrong.

            It didn’t even feel…human.

            “What the-“

            “I seriously messed up. You should _not_ be here.” The smaller man’s tone of voice morphed from one of pleading to sternness. “It’s… It’s hard to explain but…” Tsukishima stared as Yamaguchi desperately searched for words. “I’m a spirit. A spirit of the forest. And this is my home.” He gestured vaguely at the station behind Tsukishima. _The station? His home?_ “I really don’t know how to explain it but that’s all you’re going to get. You need to go. And you can’t come back, alright?”

            His mind still reeling from trying to register the ghost station behind him to the man claiming he was a fucking spirit in front of him, Tsukishima stepped back once Yamaguchi released his wrist. “I- uh, right. Sure. I’ll go.”

            Yamaguchi nodded and stepped back as well, watching as Tsukishima stumbled backwards with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

            _None of this makes sense_ , Tsukishima thought as he watched as Yamaguchi bit his lip and fiddled with his sleeve. _A spirit? That’s impossible. Those don’t exist. But what’s that station? No way it can be real. It looks like I could walk right through it. What’s going on?_

            At the edge of the clearing he paused and lifted his eyes to meet Yamaguchi’s gaze once more. Tsukishima couldn’t help but feel a bit offended once again after seeing just how badly Yamaguchi wanted him gone. Couldn’t he at least, for this one little hour, be a part of this make-believe world that Yamaguchi was spouting? The station looked _fascinating_ , practically picturesque in a way. But here the other man was, all but shoving Tsukishima out of the forest.

            Tsukishima schooled his features to not show his interest, instead trying to appease Yamaguchi by showing that he was most definitely on his way out. “How do I get back?”

            The other raised a finger and pointed right behind him. “Turn around and walk straight back from here; don’t make any turns. You’ll hit the road.”

            Nodding, he turned around, intent on just booking it back to the road at this point. But right before he was about to pass the first tree, he paused and turned around again. Yamaguchi was still standing there, the frown on his face deepening at Tsukishima’s stalled departure.

            “You-“

            “Tsukishima Kei.”

            “What?”

            “My name, idiot.” Tsukishima ran his fingers through his hair in aggravation. He had to go but he didn’t want to. Something drew him towards this kimono-clad man and mystical station. He couldn’t even help it; it was a struggle to move his legs to leave. “My name is Tsukishima Kei.”

            The spirit (or whatever) stared at him for a bit before a warm smile spread on his face. He dipped his head slightly. “Yamaguchi Tadashi. Thank you for saving me.”

            Tsukishima turned his head away, sentimentality never having been his forte. “Yeah, you were simply there so I figured why not. I’m still drunk, right? None of this…” He gestured at Yamaguchi. “No way any of this can be real? It was the alcohol?”

            Yamaguchi was silent for just a split second before he began to speak, short enough that it could be dismissed but enough for Tsukishima to notice. “Yeah,” he said, almost wistfully. “You’re horrendously drunk and I had to carry you halfway to the station.” His lips quirked into a teasing grin.

            A small snicker left Tsukishima’s own mouth as he nodded. “I see. Well. Nice to meet you,” he found himself saying, unsure _why_ he couldn’t leave.

            “Nice to meet you too. Don’t come back, please.”

            And like that, the spell was broken.

            Tsukishima turned away and stared into the forest, letting out a deep breath. As he trekked forward, he looked back only once. The Moonlight Station was gone, obscured by the trees with heavy branches and leaves. The stars had vanished from overhead, the night’s blanket barely visible unlike it had been in the clearing. Yamaguchi had disappeared, no doubt living his own mysterious and mystical life that Tsukishima was obviously unwanted in.

            By the time he got back to the edge of the forest and the road was visible, Tsukishima was half jogging to get back into a warm bed. He was cold, exhausted and his head was spinning with the night’s events. He nearly fell flat on his face when he stumbled over a rock so inconveniently placed right before him and he caught himself just in time.

            Scowling at his misfortune, he quickly walked back to his apartment, breathing in relief when the night’s chill was shut behind him. Quietly, he stepped through the rooms towards his bedroom, almost missing the kitchen table.

            Doubling back, he paused to see a plate of food covered in plastic wrap – no doubt this evening’s dinner that he had upped and left halfway through when the fight with Akiteru happened. Next to it was a small sticky note that said in messy script: ‘In case you’re hungry!’ Tsukishima knew just how hard it must’ve been for Akiteru to add on that exclamation point.

With a small ‘tch,’ he turned away, walking towards the fridge and opening it up. He stared at the other bottles of the same drink he was drinking earlier, his lip curling in distaste. Grabbing all four in two hands, he tossed them in the trash, disregarding the loud clanking he heard. Ignoring the plate on the table, he headed for his room without looking back. As he opened the door and fell on his bed there was only one thought that flashed through his mind.

            _What the_ hell _was in that drink?_

           

 

           

           

 

           

           

           

           

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo... that was that!!! It actually turned out much longer than I thought it'd be for the first chapter, but that's fine with me! What did you guys think?? Anyone curious?? It's like a bond fic but it's not in a way. If that makes sense ^^' Kudos and comments are more than appreciated!
> 
> Find me on [tumblr!](https://pretentious-git.tumblr.com/)
> 
> 'Till next time!  
> Juni~


	2. Where to?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Here's the second chapter :)
> 
> A few notes on this fic that I didn't bother to include in the beginning.  
> This fic is based off of SONGS from a japanese band that I adore. The band is called Sekai no Owari or in english, End of the World. Throughout the fic, I've incorporated the titles of the songs they've made as a sort of...homage to my favourite japanese band. If you're interested, look them up and see if you can spot the song titles throughout the fic :) I'll give you the first one: there's a song called Moonlight Station!
> 
> Anyway, I know this second chapter was quickly posted. I was just super excited (^w^) I hope you enjoy!

 

Tsukishima woke up to the plain white walls of his bedroom ceiling, his head throbbing with a dull ache. Squeezing his eyes shut, he took a few deep breathes before hauling himself upright with a grunt.

 _What a screwed up dream_ , he thought to himself as he pressed his palm to his eye and rubbed. Faint memories of a forest and train stations flickered in his mind but he dismissed them, glad that he threw away that pack of hallucinations-in-a-bottle yesterday night. _Christ_ , Tsukishima thought, throwing the covers off and stumbling through his typical morning routine. _Note to self: never buy that brand again._

When he walked into the kitchen and saw that the plate from last night had disappeared, the emotions of frustration rolled through his chest once again. After checking, he found that it had been relocated to the fridge. Akiteru was gone; he usually left for ‘work’ before Tsukishima even woke up. Now he realized that his brother was frantically job hunting from morn to night, no doubt trying to find something that paid well enough to get him his own place.

Regardless, the anger Tsukishima felt at Akiteru’s utter career failure hadn’t faded overnight.

It wasn’t that he knew Akiteru was hopeless at life and _wanted_ to depend off of his younger brother. He remembered days when they were younger when he was still in highschool, watching his older brother get ready to go to college.

_“I’m going to work hard and be as successful as possible! I’ve got an internship lined up that I’m sure will work out great. Then I’ll buy you all the jerseys of your favourite volleyball players!”_

_“I don’t need things like that anymore,” Tsukishima said mildly as he watched Akiteru bustle around the car, making sure things were all set in place._

_His older brother shot him a grin anyway. “Then I’ll buy you more volleyballs to practice with.”_

_“Nii-san, I really only need just one.”_

_“Let’s make it two!”_

_“Tch. Whatever. Drive safe.”_

Their entire family had high hopes for him, what with being the eldest son and child in the family. Both of their grades were pretty good and Akiteru had gotten a scholarship. He was determined, hardworking and while Tsukishima looked at situations with a realistic point of view, his older brother would smash in with such an overwhelmingly positive perspective that Tsukishima wanted to puke.

Statistically speaking, even if things didn’t go _great_ , they shouldn’t have gone _horribly_. But the bank invoices spoke otherwise.

Pushing the negative thoughts away from his mind he set off for work, locking the apartment behind him. Instinctively, his gaze flickered to beyond the apartment where he could see just the tips of the forest behind the complex. In broad daylight it looked like any normal forest: big and full of trees. But he turned away when the ache in his head pulsed once more, the sudden image of train stations filling his head once more.

 _There isn’t even a station near me,_ he thought moodily as he slid into his car.

\-----

The pros of working in a small business run by people you’ve known for years is that there’s no such thing as ‘disappointing your boss’ when a few years ago you were helping him puke up tequila in a toilet at a party while his boyfriend was MIA.

The cons were that they all knew each other so well that even though Tsukishima walked into the building fifteen minutes late with a black cloud hanging over his head because of fucking traffic, Bukoto slung an arm around his shoulder and grinned regardless of the death aura.

“Hey, hey, heeeyy, guess who walked in late?”

Tsukishima didn’t even bother to give him a reply.

“Oho? And guess who’s cranky?”

 _Technically_ , Tsukishima could punch him in the face and get away with it because of their friendship. But thankfully, Akaashi walked out of a room just in time to greet him with a nod.

“Bokuto, please stop harassing Tsukishima. The news this morning said there was an accident on one of the main roads. I’m sure he was just held up.”

 _My saving grace,_ Tsukishima thought as the arm lifted from his shoulders and he dropped his bag on his desk with a sigh. _Akaashi’s an angel_. That, and he was the only one that could properly restrain his partner anywhere. Bokuto was extremely likeable by anyone he met but everyone knew that Akaashi was practically 80 percent of his impulse control.

A door opened and Kuroo walked out, yawning with a coffee mug in his hand. His eyes rested on Tsukishima and he lit up, a smile on his face. “Morning, Tsukki.” Kuroo Tetsurou, a man that Tsukishima wasn’t even sure how he got the title of ‘best friend,’ was probably the only person that kept him sane at work.

“Kuroo,” Tsukishima greeted in return. “Can I send you over the articles I finished yesterday?”

“Sure thing.” Kuroo placed his cup on Tsukishima’s desk, leaning against it and crossing his arms. “Not like I have anything else better to do here.”

An arm came from out of nowhere, slapping Kuroo on the back of his head in a perfect upwards swing. “I could fire you,” Bokuto warned from the desk across from Tsukishima’s.

It would be intimidating if Bokuto hadn’t been kneeling ontop of it looking like a bird of prey ready to pounce.

Or a five year old.

“You need me too much,” Kuroo said, shooting his other best friend a shit-eating grin. Tsukishima couldn’t help but roll his eyes. This banter was common in their small building: Kuroo talking smack about their little magazine but still producing the most eye-catching editions yet. Aside from Tsukishima’s ‘top notch articles’ as Akaashi praised him once, Kuroo’s cover photos and interior design were probably the main reason why their magazine still had a following that steadily grew over time.

Kuroo never looked legitimately upset over having missed a chance at Europe over this job and while he liked to make fun of ‘Chief Executive Manager Hoot Hoot,’ as long as he continued his amazing work, there was no reason to get mad at him.

“Bokuto-san, please get down-“

“No I don’t,” Bokuto protested, giving Kuroo the stink eye. At that moment, the door to the bathroom opened and Kageyama walked out, wiping his hands on his pants. Immediately, Bokuto pointed at their young intern. “I’ll just make Tobio take over design.”

Tsukishima couldn’t help but snort. “Yeah, if you’d like the look of a badly photoshopped cover.”

Rage quickly filled Kageyama’s face. “T-Tsukishima! You bast-“

“Aaaand that’s why you need me,” Kuroo said triumphantly, walking over to Kageyama and throwing his arm over him while covering his mouth before he could finish his sentence. “I, too, would not like to see this magazine get run into the ground because of a bad photoshop attempt.”

If only Tsukishima could take a picture of their intern’s red face.

Kageyama was fresh out of college and was debating graduate school. In the meantime, he was working with them in their hole-in-the-wall magazine company. He was picked up by Akaashi who was at an internship fair at Kageyama’s school, stating that their business was small and that they could use all the help they could get.

Immediately Kageyama agreed and began to work odd jobs around the place, mostly accompanying Akaashi to interviews. He was apprenticing under Kuroo for design but as much as anyone wanted a second writer, he proved to be shit at writing articles. His quick temper and perfectionism never clashed well with Tsukishima and right off the bat, they were on uneven footing with just their ‘acquaintanceship.’ All he could do was thank any deity that he didn’t have to deal with him any more than he had to.

“But that’s not the point,” Kuroo said easily, his eyes sliding towards Tsukishima. “You look like you got zero sleep.”

Judging by what time he probably got to bed and what time he had to wake up, Tsukishima was probably running on what was less than five hours. Glowering at nothing in particular, he rubbed at his face. “Just a hard night. Not something everyone should get worried over.”

Another con about working in a place with only five people was that everyone was in everyone’s business. ‘Staff meetings’ were usually 24/7, what with Bokuto hanging around everyone regardless of their work load or his own.

Akaashi tapped his shoulder and Tsukishima turned, accepting the cup of coffee gratefully. Sometimes work even felt like a therapy session with either Kuroo blabbering nonsense about his life or Bokuto going through his various moods. In fact, Tsukishima clearly remembered a time when Bokuto’s grandmother had passed away and the entire company ‘shut down’ for a day to let them sit in a circle on the floor and drink.

To say that Kageyama was shocked to find this sort of dynamic when he first started working was an understatement.

Unfortunately, everyone knew it was kind of a big deal when Tsukishima himself started acting up. His usual mood and his mood when he was genuinely upset had a very slight difference, but Bokuto, Akaashi and especially Kuroo had known him for long enough to pick it up easily. Kageyama simply looked for any moment he could bad talk him. With everyone standing or leaning on a desk around him, Tsukishima suddenly felt very pressured.

“It’s your brother, isn’t it?”

Sometimes Tsukishima wondered what Akaashi was in his past life. _Some kind of psychic, I swear_.

Pressing his lips into a thin line, he opened his mouth to speak but Bokuto beat him to it. “Let me guess, he’s currently looking for a job?”

He jerked his head up and stared hard at his boss. “What? How did you know?”

“I saw him yesterday afternoon after you’d gone home,” Bokuto said easily with a slight shrug. “I was having a meeting with the chief of that American publishing company, Wolf Creek Publishers. He was sitting around for an interview apparently but I don’t think he noticed me.”

Tsukishima sat back in his chair, brows heavily furrowed and a scowl threatening to overtake his mouth. “Oh.”

“I thought he had a job?” Kuroo said, crossing his arms and looking at Tsukishima in confusion.

“He doesn’t.”

“Well, obviously. What happened to his job?”

“Which one? The one he lied about having here or the one he lost in Tokyo?”

The building was quiet after his snappy tone and Tsukishima took a nonchalant sip from his coffee. Even Kageyama looked uncomfortable at Tsukishima’s sudden edginess. A hand was placed on his shoulder and he didn’t have to look to know that it was Akaashi. “Both,” the quiet man said simply, knowing just how to get Tsukishima to talk.

With a sigh, he placed the cup down. “Remember back in Uni when I said I really looked up to him?” He directed the question at his three former classmates.

Kuroo nodded and snickered. “Yes, a moment of weakness and sentimentality in the great Tsukishima Kei’s’s stoic demeanor. What an interesting evening that was.”

“Shut up, Kuroo,” Bokuto said. “Go on, Tsukishima.”

“Well, our entire family thought he was doing well. When he came back a few weeks ago, he claimed that he just wanted to start over and be closer to the family.” Tsukishima grimaced. “He’s always been an emotional person like that so I didn’t think it was a strange reason. But when I found out that he owed several banks a lot of debt, I realized that he was in more of a drastic situation that just ‘starting over from scratch.’

Turning to slam his fist against his desk causing his pen cup to rattle, Tsukishima glowered at his keyboard. His coworkers were silent around him. “Idiot had nothing. No home, no salary, _nothing_ to keep him going. All our grocery shopping _I_ paid for. He lost his job and came running to me, thinking I’d just willingly take him in when he lied.”

“Tsukishima,” he heard Kuroo start to speak. “Maybe it was recent. You shouldn’t jump to conclusions just because Akiteru suddenly came back out of nowhere for help-“

“ _There were dates listed_ ,” Tsukishima snarled, whipping his head around to glare at his friend who looked at him gravely. “On the invoices there were dates listed of all the bills that he _didn’t_ pay on time. Guess where I found these invoices?”

His question was met with silence.

“I found them in the fucking _trash_. This jerk’s been fucking running away from his problems and it’s been going on for almost two damn years!”

Kuroo sighed and rubbed his face with his hand and Bokuto glanced at Akaashi with creases in his forehead. Kageyama had turned his head away, fiddling with a pen on the other desk.

Tsukishima breathed heavily, his head in his hands with his elbows propped on the desk. He knew he was losing his cool and that it was rare for any of his friends to see him in this state. Even at school he kept his calm composure and met everything with a level of nonchalance. But this… This was his _brother_. Who smiled at him every day of his life before he disappeared, leaving false hope in Tsukishima.

“Hey.” Bokuto’s voice was close and when Tsukishima looked up, a hand was on his head, squeezing gently. Usually he would’ve been irritated at the contact but Bokuto’s face was one of seriousness. “It’s a shitty situation, I know.”

“He-“

“Tsukishima, I know.”

He silenced immediately, aware that when Bokuto spoke like that, he was dead serious.

“But at least he’s trying to find a job. And if he’s been hunting each day for about a month trying to find a job, then you know he’s serious.” Tsukishima turned his head away but Bokuto’s hand didn’t move. His hair would be a mess. “It hurts, what he did, there’s no doubt about it. But you know better than anyone else that he wouldn’t have gone to you unless it was that serious of a situation. Your brother wanted you to depend on him, so imagine how much it must pain him to have to depend on you.”

Tsukishima’s fist tightened as he looked away, struggling to keep his calm. Bokuto’s words were true. He remembered reading that small note on the table, the exclamation point next to the words. It was something so simple but it spoke volumes. Akiteru was _trying_. Tsukishima just didn’t know if he wanted to acknowledge it.

“Besides,” Bokuto’s tone shifted and the hand on his head disappeared to slap him on the shoulder. “If worst comes to worst, we can hire him here! Lord knows we need more-“

“No!” Tsukishima exclaimed, looking up in horror at his boss who was laughing.

Bokuto shook his head, eyes filled with playful mirth and the corner of his lips raised high. “I’m kidding. That company he had an interview for… You’re trying to get noticed there for your own works, right? To get connections in America? They’re pretty prestigious from what I’ve heard.”

“Tch.” Turning his head away; Tsukishima had tried to ignore that – the fact that his brother was trying to get in on the publishers he had his eye on. He didn’t want to think about what it meant or if Akiteru would even tell him if he got the job or not. “Why does it matter to me?”

“It matters because they’re a big company and if he gets the job, he’ll get some bank,” Kuroo chimed in smirking. “Then he’ll be out of your hair. Plus, your name-“

“Bokuto-san,” Akaashi immediately spoke up, pulling eyes towards him. His tablet was lit in his hands and he was staring at his partner. “You have someone waiting on the phone for you. Please don’t keep them waiting.” His eyes slid towards Kuroo. “Can you and Kageyama please finish up the trial cover for the special edition during the call?”

With the mood of the group completely thrown off balance, everyone blinked for a bit before nodding and puttering off to do their designated tasks. Kageyama looked startled at the sudden change in topic but Kuroo’s firm hand at his shoulder turned him away.

Tsukishima felt slightly at a loss of the situation but when Bokuto disappeared into the office and Akaashi turned towards him, he looked down.

“I’m sorry-“

“There’s no need to be. You have every reason to be angry.” Tsukishima looked upwards. He wouldn’t ever admit it to anyone, but Akaashi was his role model in life. He was calm and collected every second of every day and not once did he ever see the other man angry. Not even in school. Yes, he got irritated and Bokuto was usually the one person to ever get on Akaashi’s nerves properly, but Akaashi was the stable mind of the group. He spoke wisely and intelligently, usually guiding everyone in the company through their challenges.

Akaashi gave him a small smile, one that everyone made such a big deal about seeing, and Tsukishima pressed his lips in a line. He wouldn’t admit this fact out loud either, but if Akaashi hadn’t been dating Bokuto when they first met, Tsukishima would’ve been all over –

“Your brother knows what he’s done wrong and he’s trying to fix it. I’m not telling you to forgive him right away, but at least he’s respecting your space. You didn’t tell us, but I can assume. Did you kick him out?” Tsukishima shook his head in response. “Well then, maybe use this time to get closer-“

“Okay, hold on. Akaashi-“

His hand was on Tsukishima’s shoulder, pressing down. “Use this time to get closer and learn more about him. He’s been gone for years, you say? How do you think he’s changed? What do you think caused him to change? What are his reasons for sinking so low in life despite his goals set so high? Don’t think so badly of your family. He is a Tsukishima after all. You two are very much alike.”

Sometimes, Akaashi said things that made no sense yet resonated deeply with Tsukishima. Still, he stared in confusion at his senior. “What is that supposed to mean? Don’t compare me to that idiot of man who’s practically a felon.”

The other man was already making his way towards Bokuto’s office. He shot Tsukishima a smile from over his shoulder. “It’s not a comparison. It simply means that you two _both_ have a tendency to run away from your problems. Perhaps it’s time to meet them headfirst.”

The door closed with a click and Tsukishima was left wondering if that insult was supposed to make him feel better or worse. But the more he dwelled on Akaashi’s words, the more he felt his mood sour once more. He _did_ run from his problems. That’s why he left the apartment at close to one in the morning. That’s why he didn’t bother to listen to Akiteru’s explanations. That’s why he moved all the way over here, away from a family he was close to, only to have the past bite him in the ass once again.

 _Damn,_ he thought, grasping for his mouse and starting up his computer. _Akaashi’s too freaking perceptive._

\----

Akaashi looked up after closing the door to see Bokuto staring at his computer with a pinched expression and his brows furrowed.

“Akaaaaashhiiiiii, you were lying! There’s no one waiting for me on the phone!” Slowly, the younger man walked over, his arms crossed and tablet hanging loosely at his fingertips. His partner saw the look in his eyes and the company’s chief sat up, a faint smile on his lips. “Am I going to get scolded for meddling?”

Restraining the urge to roll his eyes, Akaashi coughed once. “When does he start?”

Bokuto feigned innocence. “Who? Oh, Akiteru?” He lifted his hand, studying his fingernails intently. “How am I supposed to know? I only saw him go in for an interview. Who knows if he got the job.”

“Bokuto-san.”

Pursing his lips, he pouted at his lover. “Akaashi, you’re too much for me, you know that?” The larger man sighed, raising his hands above his head and stretching. “Probably next week, I don’t know for certain. All I could do was slip in a few words to the interviewer before my meeting with the chief. I’m not sure if it was enough but I mentioned he had connections to good Japanese authors. That company’s been wanting to greenlight budding writers anyway. This’ll be a big break for them both.”

He was startled when he felt arms sliding around his neck and he opened his eyes to see Akaashi looking down at him from above. His serious eyes were deep and enticing, one of the many things that made Bokuto so interested when they first met.

“Hmmm? What’s this? I get affection from Akaashi at work? How rare~”

“You’re a kind man, Koutarou.” Akaashi pressed his nose into the silver-streaked hair.

Unable to hide his surprise and joy, Bokuto laughed and raised his own hands up, rubbing Akaashi’s arms gently. “What do you mean, I’m always kind! But say, why did you suddenly interrupt? The trial cover isn’t due for a few days and I’m not sure Kuroo appreciated getting cut off.”

Akaashi shifted his head so that his chin was resting upon Bokuto’s head. The other man’s fingers trailed down to Akaashi’s hands, playing with them idly. “Because he was going to say something ignorant.”

“Gosh, could you get any blunter?”

“He was going to say that the Tsukishima name would be in the company and that it’d be easy for Tsukishima to get his works noticed more quickly.”

“But that’s what I just assured-“

Akaashi’s fingers tightened around his own. “Yes, but Tsukishima wouldn’t want to hear it. Much like his brother, they work independently. Their strength and talent are skills they’ve honed by themselves. Tsukishima wants to get noticed by his own work, not by riding Akiteru’s coattails, especially when Akiteru’s gone and done this to him.”

“Hmmm, you’re right.” Silver hair bobbed up and down. “But once Akiteru starts working, won’t Tsukishima know regardless?”

“Yes, but I just don’t think he wants to get reminded of it so crassly right now. Plus, he had already submitted to the company before. So if anything, Akiteru would be riding Tsukishima’s coattails, if just by a little. Though they don’t want to, they’ll both be helping each other out. As you said, it’ll be a big break for both of them.”

There was silence in the office for a bit before Bokuto turned his chair completely to pull Akaashi into his arms. The smaller man protested in surprise for a bit but stilled when warm lips pressed against his ear. “What am going to do without you, Keiji? You keep my company sane and me along with it.”

Akaashi chuckled softly and wrapped his arms around Bokuto’s neck. “It’s your fault for treating this place like we’re still at school. You have responsibilities now.”

“Gah, responsibilities. Who cares about those? Not when I have you-“

“Bokuto-san, the phone is actually ringing this time.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake-“

\----

Tsukishima clicked out of his email, stretching hands behind his head. He had just sent over the last of articles to Kuroo who was just across the room from him and he spun his chair around to look at the man who was hard at work.

While working, thoughts had drifted to and from his head ranging from the dream he had last night and its contents. He had pushed all topic of Akiteru to the farthest corner of his mind and instead was stuck on the fact that nothing from the previous night made sense.

He remembered storming out of the apartment and taking a walk in the forest, but that was where everything began to blur together. What was dream and what was reality?

Tsukishima had no clue what exactly he did on his walk or what thoughts he sorted out for himself. The last thing he remembered was dumping a bunch of liquor he deemed as bad in the trash and falling into bed.

But he swore on his _life_ something else had happened. The only thing he could muster up from his memories were train stations and the flash of a kimono. Freckles?

“Hey, Kuroo.”

The messy haired man barely glanced up but Kageyama stuck his head out from next to him. “Oi, four-eyes, leave him alone. We’re trying to-“

“Tobio, you accidentally covered this headline with his arm.”

Tsukishima snickered as Kageyama spluttered and immediately threw himself at the computer to fix it. Kuroo turned his chair to look at Tsukishima with a grin. “You called?”

“Yeah. I have a question.”

“Then ask away, Tsukki.”

Ignoring the inane nickname, he worried his bottom lip for a bit before asking. “You moved to the area sooner than I did, right? So do you know much about the area?”

“I know where the right bars are and where to pick up-“

“Shut up, Kuroo. I meant like, tourism spots.”

The other man tilted his head in confusion. “As I said, that one bar I took you to-“

“I meant the forest by my apartment, you idiot.” Tsukishima breathed a sigh of frustration. Sometimes he admired his friend’s skill but most of the time, his personality overrode the appreciation. “Do you know if there are any traditional buildings there or like, organizations that practice traditional Japanese customs? Maybe even a village?”

Kuroo’s brow knitted as he thought. “Traditional…? I don’t know. I haven’t heard of anything like that. I never knew you were interested in culture, Tsukki.”

“I’m not,” he said with a frown. “It’s just…” _Just what? I had a dream that I met a strange boy in a kimono in that forest and I don’t exactly know how to explain it? It sounds idiotic._ “Never mind. I don’t know. It’s just that I don’t hear much about that forest anyway and nobody seems to go there much. There aren’t any signs and I don’t have any neighbours to ask for information.”

“Ah,” Kuroo said at the same time Kageyama looked up from the computer to stare at Tsukishima with a strange expression.

“You have no neighbours?”

Raising an eyebrow, Tsukishima stared down their intern. “Yeah? And?”

Kageyama looked unfazed by his firm gaze. He sat up, resting an arm on the desk. “Where is your apartment complex?”

Unsure whether this was just going to turn into another insult battle or if Kageyama was genuinely curious, Tsukishima shrugged. “On the southern edge of town. It was a really cheap apartment.”

“And you said there are no signs to indicate what that forest is named?”

“Kageyama,” Kuroo interjected, “What are you on about?”

Tsukishima shook his head. “None. At least, not from what I remember. Why?”

The intern’s face darkened as he turned back towards his computer. “That’s a suicide forest.”

“A what-?”

“S-Suicide? How awful!”

Kuroo stared at his protégé in shock and Tsukishima had to struggle to keep his face blank. A few more memories wafted into his mind. Freckles. There were definitely freckles. Railroad tracks. Blue?

Kageyama nodded and he glanced at the two older men. “It’s not a popular suicide forest. Nothing like Aokigahara. But it’s definitely not one you want to go nature walking in. The reason why people know about it is because for some reason, people who go in there to die aren’t found.”

Unable to help himself, Tsukishima shivered slightly at the thought of a suicide forest in general. Just the idea of more than a handful of people purposefully going into a forest to end their lives was repulsive.

“Aren’t found?” Kuroo repeated, pressing his hands on his desk and leaning forward. “What do you mean?”

“Their bodies aren’t discovered. In Aokigahara, officers go in during the day to recover the bodies of those that have died. It’s not hard, you just have to keep your eyes peeled for dead bodies. But for some reason, in this forest, no bodies are found. Yet numerous people have been recorded of walking in there over time.” Kageyama’s frown deepened. “They just never return. And no one wants to figure out why.”

Kuroo whistled and shook his head. “Man, that is creepy. Who knew such a normal place like this would have such a terrible forest right next to it?” He turned to Tsukishima who was pressing his fingers to his lips hard.

Did he… He did…didn’t he? Hadn’t he entered that forest for sure last night? Yet here he was, safe and sound.

“That’s why your apartment was so cheap.” Tsukishima looked up when he realized Kageyama was addressing him. “Real estate in that area is desperate since no one wants to live in that area. And the closer you are to the forest, the cheaper the rent gets.”

Tsukishima didn’t really want to share the fact that the forest was a stone’s throw away and that his rent was laughably affordable.

“Does that satiate your curiosity, Tsukki?” Kuroo was turned towards him with his arms crossed and an amused grin. “I know you’re pissed at your brother and all but don’t go offing yourself right now. I hate writing and Tobio sucks at it.”

“Hey-!”

“Tch,” Tsukishima said, rolling his eyes and turning back to his computer. “I’m not going to kill myself. I was just wondering about the area since I’m new here. Plus,” he shot his friend a glare. “You’d probably just go and hire my brother or something.”

Kuroo clutched at his chest as if wounded. “Bokuto said that, not me!”

“I wouldn’t mind if Tsukishima was gone-“

“Kageyama, you’re a bastard.”

“Hey now ladies, let’s not fight-“

“Working hard I hope?” Bokuto’s loud voice rang through the office, bouncing against every wall and ear. “If I don’t get finished products by this afternoon I’ll toss all of you into the forest myself!”

“Bokuto-san, you can’t threaten the employees with death.”

\----

When Tsukishima stepped out of his car, he was facing the trees that marked the edge of the forest Kageyama had told them people went to in order to die. He wasn’t exactly struck with a sudden impending feeling of doom or anything but he sure as hell was curious. He was _positive_ he had taken a walk here last night. He just had no clue that there was this supposed myth behind it.

Regardless, he was alive.

He tried to peer into the trees to see anything familiar. A tree he might’ve ran into or a branch that was hanging too low. But it looked just like any forest he had ever seen in his life. The only difference was that… Well. There was no difference. It was a forest.

 _This is ridiculous_ , Tsukishima thought as he began walking straight into the forest. _I’m not going to die_.

But before he could get any farther than the first few trees, his foot caught against a stone and he stumbled forward, swearing out loud.

Almost immediately, memories flooded Tsukishima’s minded like a wave.

He had tripped on this rock last night as he was walking quickly through the forest…walking quickly away from something. Something… A station. A train station in the middle of the forest.

Freckles.

A kimono.

A name. Yamaguchi Tadashi.

_Nice to meet you too. Don’t come back, please._

With wide eyes and renewed motivation, Tsukishima immediately set off on a path that was ringing through his mind. _Walk straight back from here; don’t make any turns._ What would he find if he followed the same directions? Perhaps it was more than just a dream.

The forest blurred around him, a mix of green and browns that Tsukishima didn’t bother to stop and wonder at. _This is a suicide forest_ , he reminded himself as he weaved around trees and bushes, trying to stay in a straight line. _There’s nothing beautiful or inspiring about this place at all._

His feet pounded against the hard ground as his pace grew faster and faster with each step. There was a tightening in his chest, a feeling that Tsukishima wasn’t sure what to call. _There, a cluster of trees. Past that should be…_

_The Moonlight Station._

Bursting out of the foliage and coming to an abrupt stop, Tsukishima gaped at the building before him that was just as stunning as it was in the evening. Despite the fact that it was broad daylight, the station still shimmered in a mystical sort of way, drawing Tsukishima in without even trying. Just like at the edge of the forest, the final memories clicked into place.

He had met a guy, no, a _spirit_ , and had saved him from other spirits who were beating him up. Tsukishima thought he was drunk off his ass but the station was cold proof that apparently everything that had happened in his dream had definitely happened in real life.

Slowly, he walked towards the station, stepping over the tracks carefully. He stared at the wooden platform where he could see the faint colour of brown underneath the blueish wisps surrounding it. Hesitating only once, he stepped on, startled when his foot didn’t seem to fall through it. Looking around, he saw no sign of life.

 _Didn’t Yamaguchi say he lived here?_ He peered into the ticket booth, frowning when there was no one inside either. In fact, the inside of the building was practically devoid of anything except for a single desk and chair pushed against the back wall. _What is this place…?_ _And what did he mean when he said he lived here? There’s nothing here._

A loud chime startled Tsukishima from his studying and he turned around only to jolt in surprise. From far down the edge of the tracks, he saw something moving towards the station. Squinting, he realized that it was a trolley.

A trolley. On _train_ tracks.

There was no wire suspending it from above and the closer it got, Tsukishima realized in slight fear that there was no one driving it in the front. It looked just as wispy as the station but just as normal as a typical trolley car. When it stopped right in front of Tsukishima on the platform, his first instinct was to step away.

“What the-“

The door slid open and Tsukishima stared in horror as the trolley chimed again. He looked around for any sign of anyone else but was disappointed. Turning back to the trolley, he sighed before he made his mind.

Inside the trolley it was nice. The seats were comfortable and the mystical aura to the entire vehicle gave it an intriguing ambiance. But when he glanced around, there still was no sign of life.

“Where to?”

Tsukishima jumped at the voice that came out of nowhere, throwing his hands up in a fighting stance before dropping them when he realized he looked like an idiot. There was an intercom in the corner of the trolley, no doubt where the voice came from. But what was he supposed to say? Where was he supposed to go? This definitely did not seem like a typical trolley. And plus, Yamaguchi said that he was a spirit. Would this take him to some sort of spirit place?

He was silent for apparently too long that when the intercom spoke again, he shot it an annoyed look as he sat down.

“Um. Wherever… Yamaguchi Tadashi is.” It was a shot in the dark, but it was a shot nonetheless.

A loud clacking sound caught his attention and Tsukishima looked up to see a wooden sign flip downwards from the ceiling across from him.

“Karasuno…Recruitment Center.” _Where’s that?_ He wasn’t sure if that was an actual place in his town or in another area completely. But when the trolley began to move, his attention was diverted to watching the forest turn into a blur in the windows. _Shit, we’re not going that fast, are we? It didn’t look like it was going that fast when it came into the station._ Tsukishima pressed against the seats but the trolley wasn’t violently shuddering at all. Yet when he looked up, it was just a mesh of colours before his eyes.

The trolley ride took a total of just a few minutes before it came to a stop, the doors sliding open like it had previously. Hesitantly, Tsukishima stepped out onto a mirror image of the station’s wooden platform back in the forest, only this time without the building.

Instead, a less stranger sight than a train station in the forest was before him. A large shrine-like structure was spread out amongst the forest floor, a stone path leading from the platform to the front sliding doors of the building. It had a few floors like a pagoda but reminded Tsukishima of the temples that dotted the country sides or tourism-heavy areas of Japan. Its colours were a striking red against the forest’s deep green and Tsukishima’s eyes couldn’t rest in one area without being drawn to another part of the building.

Unlike the station and the trolley and even Yamaguchi, the building didn’t radiate blue wisps. It looked solid and normal, as if it were just a typical shrine set up in the middle of the forest. But when Tsukishima turned around, the tracks and the platform was still shimmering. He turned away, confused.

Coming from the building was a lot of noise. There were voices but there were so many that it he didn’t bother to just try and focus on one. Wondering if he should just knock or ring a bell, he was about to step onto the stone path when the front doors slid open with a loud bang and Yamaguchi Tadashi was standing in the doorway, mouth gaping and eyes as wide as saucers.

They both gasped and Tsukishima lifted a finger to point accusingly at Yamaguchi.

“You!”

Just as he was about to storm down the path, Yamaguchi was suddenly right in front of him (did he fucking teleport?), barreling into his chest and shoving him backwards.

“DON’T STEP ON THE PATH!”

“What the hell-?!”

Tsukishima stumbled back, almost falling over, but Yamaguchi pulled away to stare at him with frantic eyes, his mouth running a mile a minute. “What on earth are you doing here? How did you even know where to _find_ me? I told you not to come back! You promised you wouldn’t come back!” Completely at a loss, the taller man could only gape in confusion when another voice rang out from inside the building.

“Yamaguchi?”

“Oh shit.”

The spirit whirled around as Tsukishima looked up at the doorway. A figure emerged with short black hair and a searching face. When his eyes landed on Yamaguchi, he smiled. “There you are. You just suddenly ran off…” The other spirit’s gaze reached Tsukishima and he tensed, watching the pleasantness in the other man’s face morph into a taut expression. “Who is this?”

“E-Ennoshita… Um, well, you see, this is Tsukishima and-“

Ennoshita calmly walked over but his expression stayed inscrutable and Tsukishima had the sudden urge to run. “Yamaguchi, can you please explain what’s going on?” The man finally pulled his gaze away from Tsukishima to look at the frantic spirit. “What is a mortal doing on the premises?”

“Oh my god,” Tsukishima mumbled against his will and the two spirits looked up at him. “You’re not kidding. You guys really are spirits. What the fuck.”

Yamaguchi seemed to wither even more but Ennoshita’s eyes simply hardened as he turned to face Tsukishima. “Alright, I’m sorry, but you’re not exactly supposed to be here. In fact, it shouldn’t be _possible_ that you’re here.”

Tsukishima wanted to say that it shouldn’t be possible that spirits even exist but who was he to start making false claims anytime soon?

“Also, Yamaguchi should not be touching you right now.” Three sets of eyes zeroed in on where the younger spirit was obviously clutching Tsukishima’s arm from where he had tried to stop him from stepping on the path.

“I didn’t ask him to,” Tsukishima responded flatly as Yamaguchi yanked his hand away immediately. “What the hell is going on?”

Ennoshita’s frown deepened. “I’d like to know that myself,” he said, peering at Yamaguchi who was trying to look anywhere but the two of them. “However, may I shake your hand?”

Startled at the sudden request, Tsukishima stared at the other spirit who had already risen his hand and was awaiting a normal shake between people. “You just said I shouldn’t be here.”

“I’m not greeting you,” Ennoshita said clearly. “I’m checking something.”

“Ennoshita-“ Yamaguchi tried to cut in but Tsukishima reached out and grasped the man’s hand, grimacing at the clammy feel of the spirit. It felt like Yamaguchi’s and it didn’t feel nice. They shook once, firmly, before Ennoshita pulled back with his lips set in a straight line.

“I see.”

“Well I don’t.”

Yamaguchi stepped in, visibly putting himself in Ennoshita’s line of vision and pulling the other man’s attention away from Tsukishima. “Ennoshita, I need your help.” He spoke desperately. “Something happened last night while I was on shift and I don’t know what to do.”

The older spirit cast a pointed look at Tsukishima. “I’m assuming this is the result?” He was met with a guilty nod. Ennoshita sighed, rubbing his face with his hand before studying Tsukishima once more. Wispy eyes seemed to sweep up his entire body as if analyzing him before he nodded, jerking his chin towards the building. “Get inside. We’ll deal with this in my office. Go in quietly though, we mustn’t let the others know yet.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, Yamaguchi was about to set off when he stopped suddenly, looking down in worry. “But what about the path? Won’t that alert them? Didn’t you feel Tsukishima’s presence when-“

“If he were anything else, we would’ve known the moment he stepped onto the platform. The power spreads over this entire area, not just the path. It’s what we tell others so that we can get a heads up regardless of them knowing or not.”

“So you didn’t know that he arrived…?”

“The only person that knew he came was you, Yamaguchi.”

Tsukishima cleared his throat, tired of feeling like a fly on the wall when he was obviously the topic of discussion. “Excuse me,” he said a bit pointedly, stepping onto the path once he figured that it was useless no matter what. He was here. “I’d like to know what the hell this place is, what you guys are and what happened to me.”

Yamaguchi let out a small sound while Ennoshita looked a bit irritated but he still got his answer from the older spirit. “It’s very hard to explain and I’m not actually sure myself. I need Yamaguchi and your stories before I can settle on a conclusion, however.”

“A conclusion for what?” Tsukishima asked, following them into the building. But instead of an answer, Yamaguchi turned his head and gave him a faint smile, pressing his finger to his lips. Unwillingly, Tsukishima pressed his mouth shut.

Before they walked in, Ennoshita glanced around the entrance and then beckoned them to follow. Voices were still coming from everywhere in the building but they all seemed distant since Tsukishima was too busy marveling at the structures inside.

The entire place even _looked_ like a shrine but much more homey. Instead of wide open spaces, chairs and cushions were scattered around, giving the impression of a living room. There were no drapes to shroud the large windows, instead giving full view of the forest around them. Hallways branched off from the main area, giving Tsukishima glimpses of rooms with cluttered tables, various chairs, even a kitchen. But he knew he was not allowed to speak until they were in privacy so he followed obediently through the building.

Ennoshita’s room was conveniently close to the entrance and when they stepped into the small office, Yamaguchi threw himself onto a cushion and groaned. Tsukishima hesitantly sat down, feeling extremely guarded about the entire situation.

“Alright, now I’d like a full story, please.” Ennoshita spoke to them both as if he were speaking to children and a spark of irritation flared within Tsukishima’s chest as he found himself raising his hand a bit.

“Excuse me, but I’d like an explanation myself.” He was about to add that he didn’t appreciate how he felt like he was being scolded like a child but the way Ennoshita was looking at him made him feel as if the man was _years_ older rather than the year or two older he looked to be. “Please.”

Ennoshita looked at Yamaguchi who seemed to be struggling to recompose himself. “It’s alright, Yamaguchi. I just need to know what’s going on. You brought a mortal here and… well, let me just hear what happened.”

Yamaguchi nodded, his shoulders hunched and eyes filled with guilt. He took a deep breath before he began to speak.

“Alright, well, you know I was on shift last night.” Ennoshita nodded and Tsukishima stared at him. _Shift? He said that he and his attackers had the same job…but what kind of job requires going out in the middle of the night?_ “I was upset because last time I didn’t do so well and I wanted to make up for it. However, a few people from Edgeside found me and did their typical thing.” _Getting beat up is a ‘typical thing?’_ “They said…” Yamaguchi lowered his gaze, seemingly unable to look the older spirit in the eye. “They reminded me how I had more fails than successes as a recruitor.”

Tsukishima looked up to see Ennoshita’s face look woeful. Was this man his mentor or boss of sorts? Did he know of Yamaguchi’s work troubles?

“That night they were a bit more rowdy than usual.”

_If by rowdy you mean they were willing to kick holes in your gut then sure, rowdy._

“But Tsukki here-“

“Tsukki?” He echoed.

Yamaguchi glanced at him, a slightly flushed expression on his face. “Um, Tsukishima’s a mouthful.”

Tsukishima couldn’t even think of a proper reply.

“Anyway, Tsukki here came out of nowhere. The Edgesiders and I barely noticed him because we were all, ah… occupied. He butted in (“Hey-“) and tried to get the Edgesiders away from me but he seemed kind of drunk and when he threw the bottle, he didn’t seem to notice that it passed right through them.”

“Wait, so you’re saying I _didn’t_ miss?!”

“He barged straight for them and naturally they all backed away but I didn’t have the time to. Tsukki reached out and…um.” Yamaguchi seemed to shrink under Ennoshita’s unwavering gaze. “He grabbed my wrist and that’s when the Edgesiders ran away. And then I went home and Tsukki went home and he should have _stayed home_ _but apparently he didn’t._ ”

After Yamaguchi’s quick recap, he was about to tell Ennoshita that he walked back Yamaguchi to the station under the pretense that he was just some guy living in the forest that could probably get jumped again. The intention of getting the entire story out in the open was on the front of his mind but before he could get a word out, his palm burned suddenly.

Barely stopping himself from jolting, he stared down at his hand. There was no visible burn but the tingling sensation was still there, fading just as quickly as it had appeared. When he glanced over at Yamaguchi, he saw in sick horror as a dark blue splotch was visible around the spirit’s wrist. It closely resembled a handprint that had gripped that area tight.

Tsukishima clenched his fist tightly, deciding against speaking up. Ennoshita, who had been quietly thinking after Yamaguchi’s confession, then reached both of his hands out.

“May I see your hands?”

_Well that was quick._

Yamaguchi looked confused and even handed him the wrong arm, but when Tsukishima let his palm fall open against Ennoshita’s, he saw Yamaguchi gasp in realization. Part of Tsukishima’s palm was glowing just the faintest shade of blue while Yamaguchi’s wrist was a whole shade darker than his normal colour.

“What…what happened? What is this?” Yamaguchi blabbered in shock while Tsukishima glared at his hand.

“I see,” Ennoshita sighed, releasing their hands. “This is a lot more complicated than I thought.”

Tsukishima raised his hand, pulling his marked hand closer to his body. “May I ask questions now,” he inquired, hating this feeling of seeing but not understanding anything.

Ennoshita looked surprised at his polite request. “Of course. What do you want to know? Though I can’t guarantee I’ll give you good answers.”

That didn’t matter to Tsukishima. Anything right now was good. Anything to explain the situation he just got himself into and why the hell it seemed like something died in their midst. Yamaguchi and Ennoshita wore expressions like the world was ending around them but Tsukishima had no clue what he did.

“Who are you guys? Where is this place? And what’s wrong with me?” He turned his gaze towards Yamaguchi who looked troubled. “You said you worked around here. What’s your job?”

The younger spirit bit his lip and turned his head as if trying to figure out how to start his explanation. Ennoshita himself looked conflicted, glancing between the two people in front of him and trying to figure the situation out.

“Do you know that this forest is a-“

“Suicide forest, yes. I learned that today, actually.”

Yamaguchi nodded. “Well, I’m a recruiter. That’s my job. I recruit souls for the afterlife. At Karasuno, we call it saving the souls of the dead.”

“You make no fucking sense.”

Ennoshita cut in quickly. “We save those that are ready to die from a painful suicide by saving their souls before they can commit the deed themselves.

Tsukishima stared at the other spirit, at loss. “What do you mean ‘save the souls’?”

“We help them avoid a painful death that they’d inflict on themselves by…quickening the process, I suppose you could say.”

“Save the souls…do you mean _kill them?_ ” Tsukishima nearly stood up in shock, the prospect of murderous spirits in front of him making his stomach churn. “Do you kill every fucking person that steps into this forest? Is that why no bodies are found?”

Yamaguchi reached out but Tsukishima pulled his arm away, staring at him in horror. “No!” The other man exclaimed. “Well, yes. In a way. But they’re already dead-“

“You are seriously not making _any sense-_ “

“Tsukishima, it’s a very hard concept to grasp right now but I assure you Yamaguchi will explain it all in detail later. Right now, I think you want to know what’s happened to you, correct?”

Tsukishima was torn between demanding an explanation _now_ about them killing people or demanding answers about his predicament. He settled on the latter, however, since it didn’t seem as if either Yamaguchi or Ennoshita were going to kill him immediately. Hesitantly, he balled his fists in his lap and slightly bowed his head. Why he felt like he had to apologize to a spirit for discourtesy, he had no clue, but he felt it was proper.

“My apologies,” he said through gritted teeth.

“It’s fine,” Ennoshita said, before explaining. “This spirit world Yamaguchi and I are in…it comes with very strict rules in regards to mortals. Along with our jobs, there are regulations on interactions with your kind. A spirit is not allowed to touch a mortal or else that mortal will turn into what is called a vengeful spirit. The deepest parts of you come out and begin to eat you alive from the inside out, causing you to be a deteriorating destructive force that’s uncontrollable and dangerous. We call vengeful spirits _spectres_.”

Stunned by the graphic description, Tsukishima felt his pulse quicken. _We touched. Yamaguchi and I touched. My hand says it all. Am I going to turn into…_

“However, the way it works in the spirit world is that everything is run on intention. Instead of Yamaguchi touching you, Tsukishima, you reached out and intentionally touched him.”

“There’s a difference?!” Tsukishima exclaimed, trying to process what was happening. So if he wasn’t going to be a spectre, what was he?

“Yes. There’s a blurry line between the two since you’re the only mortal I’ve ever heard of that has ever willingly touched a spirit, but if you had been a spectre, you would be slowly turning into a vengeful spirit already.”

Yamaguchi pressed his fingertips on the edge of Ennoshita’s desk. “How would we have known if he was…?”

“Well for one, we would’ve been alarmed immediately. Tsukishima, I have no clue what you are, but you definitely aren’t a spectre. Because you touched Yamaguchi, a bit of his spiritual essence is now latched onto you, slightly veiling you from our alarms. That’s why I didn’t notice your presence when you arrived. Though you still look very much like a mortal.” His gestured at their hands. “However, it seems like you two have some sort of bond. Perhaps that’s why you felt him come, Yamaguchi.”

_That burning feeling I experienced earlier… was that part of the bond?_

“So…let me get this straight,” Tsukishima said, rubbing his temples as the information overload began to take its toll. “You’re saying that this whole touching thing isn’t a two-way street and that each side has its own meaning?”

“Correct. I suppose it’s a bit complicated of a concept to grasp…But since you’re definitely not a spectre, that’s the only possibility that makes sense.”

Tsukishima nodded slowly. “And because I touched _him_ , I’m now…part spirit…is what you’re saying.”

Ennoshita tilted his head to the side slightly, brows furrowed as he thought. “Yes…in a way.”

“What do you mean ‘in a way’?”

The older spirit pressed his lips together as he looked between the two of them. He seemed to be battling with himself and if only he wasn’t a spirit that possibly _killed_ , Tsukishima was ready to grab him by the shoulders and shake him for answers.

“There’s a possible bad side to this situation.”

Yamaguchi took a sharp intake of breath at the statement and Tsukishima tensed next to him. “What’s the bad news?” The younger spirit asked, wide eyes full of dismay.

Ennoshita turned to look at Tsukishima. They stared at each other for a few seconds before the other man gave him a tiny smile that seemed more like a grimace than an act of reassurance. “Tsukishima has…an inevitable fate. Because you touched, regardless of what kind of spirit it is, vengeful or not, spirit and mortality cannot hold one vessel. In the long run, spirit will win no matter what. It will be a slow progression I believe, but Tsukishima…eventually, you will turn into one of us.”

The silence in the office was deafening.

Yamaguchi slid his face back into his hands and Ennoshita looked at the smaller spirit with sorrow in his eyes. Tsukishima didn’t really understand the pity session that was going on as he was too busy trying to understand what Ennoshita had just said.

“Excuse me, I’m going to be a _what_?”

“A spirit. There is a high chance you’re going to lose your mortality and turn into a spirit like us.”

The shock was too much; it felt almost choking. “All because I touched him?”

Ennoshita shook his head solemnly.

“All because I was trying to _save him from getting beaten up?_ ”

This time, Ennoshita looked away at Tsukishima’s heightened tone of voice and Yamaguchi lifted his head from his hands. His eyes were full of dread and he looked to be on the verge of tears. Tsukishima wasn’t even sure what to be feeling at the immediate moment, much less know what else to say.

“S-Sorry, Tsukki.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :D Does that count as a cliffhanger? Does it? 
> 
> Well anyway, there's a little more insight on everyone and everything! More things get cleared up as the story goes on so I assure you.
> 
> Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated!!


	3. Phantom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's chapter three! I'm really enjoying writing this fic guys, it's kind of ridiculous. I'm also very grateful for those small few that are reading it while this fic is still getting to its feet. It's very supportive and encouraging! ^^
> 
> Has anyone looked into the band? Another one of their songs shows up as a theme in this chapter :)
> 
> Enjoy!

 

When Ennoshita decided that he had to go to the chief to tell him the current situation, panic flared through Tsukishima at the same time Yamaguchi let out a small sigh of resignation.

_The chief? Mr. Head Kill-People?_

“This situation is too large and out of my hands to deal with.” Ennoshita looked more disturbed than worried and Tsukishima wasn’t entirely sure what to feel at all.

“This situation is bullshit,” He muttered under his breath, ignoring Yamaguchi’s glance. He turned away. “Can’t I just leave? Never come back? If this is going to be such a big deal then what if I just avoided this place altogether?”

Ennoshita’s wispy fingers rubbed at his chin lightly, concern lacing his eyes as he peered at Tsukishima. “You should have stayed away,”

“Then-“

“But I’m glad you didn’t.”

Tsukishima visibly slumped, helplessness pressing down on his shoulders like a ten-ton weight. “What are you talking about? I swear to god, all of you speak in fucking riddles.”

“Because then you wouldn’t have known what to do,” Yamaguchi said, looking up at the mortal with a rueful expression. “You would’ve become so confused if something were to start happening because of our bond.”

Staring at the spirit at loss, Tsukishima had to restrain himself from just getting up and storming out right then and there. After forcing himself to breathe, he closed his eyes and spoke calmly. “I don’t _want_ to become a spirit.”

“I know,” Ennoshita said and the two watched him get up and head towards the door. “That’s why I’m going to go get Daichi. He’ll figure you two out.” He stepped out, leaving the two of them with that ominous promise.

Immediately, Tsukishima rounded on Yamaguchi. He stood up, clenching his fists to hold himself back from doing something rash, such as grabbing a spirit that he shouldn’t have touched in the first place. “Alright, explain what the hell you mean when you say you _save people_. Do you actually kill people? That’s why I’m going to turn into a spirit, isn’t it? You kill people by turning them into spirits like you and that’s why no bodies are ever found!”

He wasn’t freaking out. Of course he wasn’t. Tsukishima definitely wasn’t slowly falling into a state of panic and hysteria because _for god’s sake he had a life outside of this godforsaken forest_.

“No!” Yamaguchi exclaimed, standing and holding his hands up in defense. “We’re not going to kill you, I promise. It’s a lot more complicated than what you think, I swear.”

“Then I’d greatly appreciate it if you could explain.”

Tsukishima’s tone was so biting that he felt just the faintest twang of guilt when he noticed Yamaguchi’s eyes widen and flicker away.

“No one is happy that this forest is considered a suicide forest. Don’t assume that just because Karasuno is here, we _wanted_ to work with the dead and dying.” Yamaguchi reached out and ran his fingers lightly against the edges of Ennoshita’s desk. His eyes followed the grain of the wood. “We’re not malevolent spirits. We’re just doing what’s best for the forest. Did you know,” Fierce brown eyes were directed towards Tsukishima, “That dead bodies hurt the forest more than people chopping trees down?”

Tsukishima’s first instinct was to wholeheartedly deny that claim. What could be worse for a forest than by completely tearing it down? But Yamaguchi’s words made his chest feel heavy.

“In Aokigahara, bodies are left there to rot if undiscovered. Spirits are released into the world that are confused, hurting and want nothing more than to just rest. The negative energy is a burden on the trees and plants and that entire forest reeks with the scent of death. We’re not like that.” Yamaguchi shook his head vehemently. “We make sure that the spirits are directed immediately to where they want to go and to give them even more peace, we allow their bodies to go with them.”

It felt as if Tsukishima were back in University, sitting in his philosophy class and trying to follow along with discussions on the afterlife. Their professor assured them that technically there were no right or wrong answers; however, Yamaguchi spoke as definitely as possible.

“When you use the phrase ‘kill people,’ it doesn’t exactly apply to what we do. In literal terms, we _do_ take their mortal lives away. But these people are already dead inside by the time they come into the forest. You can see it in their eyes.” The spirit noticed Tsukishima’s mouth begin to open and he cut in quickly. “We don’t recruit them the moment they step into the forest.” He looked slightly offended at the thought. “We wait until they’re on the verge of death – when we’re positive they’re ready to die – and then we take the pain for them.”

“Take the pain…?”

Yamaguchi reached to his sides and pulled out one of the _tantos_ he kept sheathed underneath the loose layers of cloth. Tsukishima stared at the wispy weapon with a short blade and an intricate handle. It was a dark reddish colour with black swirling designs etched into the wood. “This is a reaping weapon. All recruiters have one.” He held up the blade and it glinted. Drawn towards the mystical artifact, Tsukishima reached out and startled when Yamaguchi yanked the weapon away. “Don’t touch.”

Staring in surprise, Tsukishima pulled his hand back.

“The blade is dangerous for mortals. It’s what we use to recruit. Before someone kills themselves, whether it be by starvation, hanging or by any other means, we strike. The moment the blade of a reaping weapon touches a mortal, they turn into a spirit and are immediately sent into the afterlife.”

He looked up and Tsukishima blinked in uneasy surprise. “Just… Just like that?”

Yamaguchi nodded. “It saves them from the agony and pain. There’s no blood involved or any physical injuries. In fact, I suppose if you were to ask any of the spirits in the afterlife, they’d say they preferred a death without pain over what they were going to do.”

The spirit was talking so nonchalantly that Tsukishima’s head began to swim and he felt nauseous. _It doesn’t matter,_ he thought sickly, _they kill people. Even if they were suicidal, these people had lives. They had lives and families and the possibility of being found and these spirits just_ kill _them._

“Why do you say ‘recruit’?” Tsukishima forced the question out, his eyes watching as Yamaguchi slid the _tanto_ back into its sheath.

“Oh, hah.” Yamaguchi let out a small chuckle and Tsukishima felt bewildered at how light this whole conversation about death and suicide and murder seemed to be. _Is this weak and innocent looking guy seriously in charge of killing people?_ “It’s to satiate the minds of everyone.” The spirit worried his bottom lip. “Tsukishima… I don’t classify myself as a…murderer. I want to save people and if this how I can save them from pain…”

Tsukishima could see emotions he couldn’t recognize flicker in Yamaguchi’s determined eyes.

“We call it ‘recruiting’ because we recruit souls for the afterlife. That’s the point of this recruitment center.”

“There’s no better phrase to use?”

Yamaguchi furrowed his brows. “I’ve never thought about it. No?”

“Karasuno Murder Company.”

“I said-!”

“I know,” Tsukishima said, reaching out before stopping himself. He was going to do what he usually did to his friends like Kuroo by squeezing the distressed spirit’s shoulder. But he pulled back just in time. “I’m sorry. It’s just… You’ve got a…” _Fucked up mentality here._ “It’s a very strange way of looking at things,” he settled on saying. “But what about those Edge people? Are they also recruiters?”

Yamaguchi heaved a heavy sigh at that, rolling his eyes at the mention of them. “Kind of. They recruit but not in the way we do.” He waved his hand vaguely. “Deeper south there’s a cliff. We call it Edgeside. There are spirits that are ‘in charge’ of the territory over there and they also send people off to the afterlife. They just have a terrible way of doing it.”

Knitting his brows, Tsukishima cocked his head in silent question.

“When people go there to jump off the cliff-“ _What the HELL?_ “The voices they hear in their head luring them to do it are the Edgesider spirits. They jeer and taunt mortals, pushing them to, well, literally the edge. Then when the mortals jump off, they get caught by a spiritual net near the ground. It’s considered their reaping weapon and instead of hitting the forest floor, they just get sent straight to the afterlife.”

If Tsukishima wasn’t positive he was conscious, he would’ve been sure he was dreaming or at least hallucinating in some way. Yamaguchi seemed so _calm_ saying everything. He barely batted an eyelash when recounting how people just threw themselves off a cliff because his coworkers pushed them to the brink of sanity.

“Please don’t take this the wrong way,” Tsukishima started, seeing how Yamaguchi looked up curiously. “But I really, _really_ don’t want to become one of you guys.”

Instead of an insulted response like he was expecting, Yamaguchi simply nodded and smiled apologetically, dipping his gaze to scratch at his head. “That’s completely understandable. But not all spirits are like us.”

Tsukishima stared at him dubiously.

“Yes, I promise. We’re one recruitment center of many and it’s hard work, but we’re not the only ones here. There are plenty of normal things in our world.” Suddenly, Yamaguchi grinned. “We’ve got amazing restaurants!”

_Restaurants?_

A gentle pat on his shoulder jolted him out of his befuddlement. Yamaguchi was already pulling his hand back when Tsukishima realized that they touched again. Was that okay? Seriously, was he going to turn into some sort of vengeful spirit? “But for now, just trust in Daichi. He’ll figure out what to do and we’ll all protect you!”

“…protect me?”

When the sound of pounding feet thudded through the thin office walls, Tsukishima looked up at the moment Ennoshita’s door slid open with a loud bang. Suddenly, there were three new spirits all trying to climb over each other in an attempt to get through the small doorway.

“IT’S A MORTAL!” Shouted a spirit with a shock of orange hair. The blue wisps surrounding him made the colour scheme look horrendous in Tsukishima’s perspective.

“WITH A SPIRIT ESSENCE?” This time, a man with a shaved head shoved his way through the door, staring Tsukishima down with wild eyes that made him flinch.

“IT’S A MORTAL SPIRIT!” The last person was smaller than the rest yet was shouting louder than the other two, his hair sticking straight up in a way that defied gravity.

“A MORTAL SPIRIT!” The three gasped in unison.

Tsukishima felt a vein twitch in his forehead at the group that already proved themselves to be obnoxious in less than ten seconds. “Tch,” he looked away, sensing Yamaguchi move towards his fellow spirits. So much for not alerting anyone with his presence.

“Hinata, Tanaka, Nishinoya,” he heard Yamaguchi greet. “This is Tsukishima. He’s-“

“Not capable of introducing himself, eh?” The rough voice of the man with a shaved head was enough to make Tsukishima spin back around with an offended expression. “Oi, you gonna make Yamaguchi do everything for you around here?”

His frown deepening, he glared at the other man who stood imposingly in the doorway, arms crossed. He was intimidating, Tsukishima would admit, but he wasn’t going to let some spirit reduce him to an apologetic mess.

“I’m Tsukishima Kei,” he said flatly. _That’s all they’re getting from me._

“Nice to meet you, Tsukishima!” The shortest spirit said, shooting him the widest grin he’d ever seen and sticking a thumbs up in his face. “So I heard you’re not here to die!”

There was a gasp and the spirit with orange hair was smushing his hands over the other’s mouth. “Noya-san! You can’t say it that soon! He’s-“

“Tsukishima is not here to die.”

The foreign voice seemed to freeze all four spirits in the room. Almost immediately, the three newcomers and Yamaguchi grew more alert and stood up straighter, moving to the side as the newest person walked into the room.

If Tanaka gave Tsukishima the creeps, whoever this was gave him the _chills_.

The spirit that had just stepped into Ennoshita’s room seemed to take up the entire area with just his presence. He wasn’t ridiculously tall nor was he horrifyingly buff, yet Tsukishima still felt like this man could pummel him within seconds. With cropped dark hair and a sense of authority radiating from his very being, Tsukishima didn’t have to guess who this was. This was Daichi.

Daichi was smiling politely and somehow that made him feel even more terrifying.

_This is the main guy. This is the man that tells Yamaguchi to go around the forest killing people. I feel like if I anger this guy, I might as well just be dead and gone. I’m taller than him but this guy… This guy’s presence is huge._

“Isn’t that right, Tsukishima?”

Tsukishima startled at being addressed, jerking up straight and nodding. “I, uh, yeah. No, yeah. I’m not suicidal. I’m here because of coincidence.” _What a way to start off introductions._

The chief spirit quirked a brow. “Coincidence where? Here in the forest or here at Karasuno?”

Hesitating, he glanced at Yamaguchi who was hovering behind Daichi by the door. “Both, actually.”

“I see,” the chief said, nodding once. Turning, Tsukishima saw Ennoshita standing out in the hallway behind the three younger spirits. “Ennoshita, could you come in? You three, stay outside.” He shut the door in front of the eager faces of the spirits and though they were shut out, Tsukishima doubted that the thin walls would muffle much. “Tsukishima, may I shake your hand?”

Already having experienced this once with Ennoshita, he stuck out his hand silently and firmly shook Daichi’s hand. Unlike Ennoshita, the chief didn’t look worried or suspicious. Instead, the friendly aura nearly had Tsukishima asking if everything was a lie and that he would be fine. But when Daichi sat down and openly said ‘So we have a problem,’ Tsukishima barely held back a sigh.

“Yamaguchi,” the chief said, looking at the spirit that was still standing by the door. “Could you tell me what happened?”

The young spirit came over, recounting the same story he had told Ennoshita. Oddly enough, Tsukishima could feel a pulse of reassurance come from the spirit that had appeared once Daichi came in. But feeling someone else’s emotions was strange and Tsukishima immediately clamped it down, refusing any more feelings to wash in.

“Tsukishima?” Daichi said, causing him to look up. “May I hear your story?”

They hadn’t asked for his story before. But it’s not like it was any different from Yamaguchi’s. It wasn’t like this was a crime he and the spirit were getting interrogated for.

“There’s not much,” he said with a nonchalant shrug. “It’s mostly the same as his,” he said, jerking his chin towards Yamaguchi. “I was out and I ran into them. I tried to get those Edgesiders to leave him alone and we touched. Now I’m here.”

Daichi seemed unsatisfied with his story. _What more does he want from me?_ “Alright,” the man said. “But how did you find this place?”

 _Oh_. At that question, three sets of spirit eyes zeroed in on him and Tsukishima was forced to look away due to their concentration. Two of pairs seemed genuinely curious whereas Yamaguchi’s felt almost accusing.

“I wanted to make sure that what had happened was real,” he muttered.

Daichi leaned in, brows furrowed. “What?”

He sighed, straightening up again and avoiding all eye contact with everyone in the room. Opening up to his workmates was one thing. When it was a possible-murderer spirit right in front of him, drilling him for his intentions, it was a bit harder.

“That night I saved Yamaguchi. I walked him to the station. I was drunk that night though, at least, I thought I was, so the next day I wanted to make sure it had all actually happened and that I wasn’t going insane.” He watched as Daichi cracked a smile in amusement.

“And you just decided to hop onto a magical-looking trolley for the hell of it? How did you even know where to go?”

Tsukishima felt like he was being scolded by a parent figure and he didn’t even bother to give Daichi a response, instead opting to stare at him with eyes that he hoped would convey the words he couldn’t say. Seeing the chief glance over at Yamaguchi, he figured that the other man was perceptive enough to figure it out.

“Well then,” Daichi said, leaning back. “I’m glad you got to Karasuno instead of some other spot on the trolley’s path. However, we need to deal with that.” His stern eyes pointed down towards Tsukishima’s hand.

“Yes,” he agreed, clenching his fist to hide the spirit bond. “What does Yamaguchi mean when he said you guys would protect me? Why do I need protecting?”

Daichi leaned forward and as he shifted, Tsukishima could hear the rattle of muffled chains coming from beneath the man’s kimono. “Because there are spirits in this world that would immediately do you harm once they realize that you exist.”

Tsukishima stilled, staring at the chief. “What do you mean?”

“I believe these two told you about spectres?” Tsukishima nodded. “This forest is composed of many areas. In regards to the mortal world, we as the Karasuno Recruitment Center are in charge of a majority of it. The Edge is run by a small group of spirits that you’ve already met, the Edgesiders. In the farthest corner of this forest you’ll find The Shade. It’s an area overrun with vengeful spirits and spirits that purposefully lure mortals in order to turn them into spectres. We don’t know their intentions and so far, they have never acted against the peaceful spirit world, but we are still wary of them because of their numbers.”

“Are you…Are you telling me that they’re going to try and make _me_ a spectre?”

Daichi nodded. “It’s a very large possibility. There is no doubt that word of you has already spread. You’re a mortal with a spiritual essence attached onto you. That already calls for attention and unfortunately, not the best type.”

Tsukishima felt fear grip his chest. First he was going to turn into a spirit and next, there were people who wanted him to become a spectre? “Why can’t I just never return?” The words barely hid a desperate whine. He ignored the incessant feeling of emotions trying to fill him through his bond but he held them at bay, not allowing himself to become any more paranormal than he proved to be.

“It’s going to screw up your life, Tsukki,” came a quiet voice and everyone glanced at Yamaguchi who had decided to speak up. He looked awful, with guilt hunching his shoulders over and looking more and more frail. “Your mortal life.”

There was no objection from the other two spirits so Tsukishima was stuck listening as Yamaguchi began to speak. “We spirits can’t leave the forest but spectres are mortals who are being taken over which means they can. If they knew about you, there’s a possibility they could go after you in the mortal world. We wouldn’t be able to protect you.”

Tsukishima wished he could say that he didn’t need to be protected and that he could take care of himself. But knowing that his situation was out of bounds on even a _mortal_ level, he had to unwillingly accept the help that these spirits were offering out of their free will.

At least, what he hoped was free will.

“Yamaguchi is correct,” Ennoshita said. “Your protection is ensured if you are in this forest but once you step outside, we can’t guarantee anything.”

“In fact, there’s nothing at all,” Daichi cut in. “There is no possible way for us to protect you outside of the forest boundaries. That’s why we need your cooperation if you want to get out of your predicament as quickly as possible.”

Rubbing his face in aggravation, Tsukishima wasn’t sure what to say. He had been sitting here for too long, dwelling on this problem for way more time than necessary. Daichi spoke as if he _wasn’t_ going to cooperate, but now that he thought about it, he did seem a bit adamant on just leaving all of this behind.

“ _You both have a tendency of running away from your problems. Maybe it’s time to meet them headfirst.”_

Akaashi’s words echoed obnoxiously in his ears and inwardly, he flicked the other man off. Leave it to the quiet ones to know everything about anyone. That’s why you couldn’t trust them at all.

Sighing, he opened his eyes to look at the chief of the recruitment center. He nodded once. “Alright. What do you want me to do?”

\-----

As soon as the door closed behind them, Ennoshita patted Yamaguchi’s shoulder firmly. “You did nothing wrong, Tadashi,” the older spirit assured him though it didn’t do much to calm the younger’s turmoil of emotions. “Now that he’s here, we _will_ help him.”

Yamaguchi gave the older spirit a small smile and nod, turning to his friends once Ennoshita began walking away.

“What’s going on, Yamaguchi?” Hinata asked with his eyes wide, excitement overflowing from the smaller man’s body. “Where’s Daichi and Tsukishima?”

He pointed behind him at the closed door. “Daichi wanted to talk to him alone. How’d did you guys find out?”

Nishinoya grinned. “We were just hanging around when by chance Ennoshita comes barging in telling Daichi that some mortal with your essence is at Karasuno. I bet you if Tanaka were the one to say it, no one would believe it!” He laughed loudly, slapping his taller friend on the arm.

Pulling Nishinoya in a headlock, Tanaka scoffed at first. “ _We_ didn’t really believe it either but here we are, believing!”

Chuckling at his friends’ antics, Yamaguchi nodded before gesturing with his hands. “We should go; we could hear you three outside really clearly from in the room. I don’t want to interrupt their conversation.”

As they walked throughout the building, aimlessly wandering and talking, the three other spirits were exploding with theories whereas Yamaguchi listened to them halfheartedly. His mind was occupied with the conversation that had just taken place and the things that were required of him. Though no one had explicitly told him to do anything in particular, he knew that he was at fault for a majority of these events.

If only he hadn’t been so weak, then the Edgesiders wouldn’t have always picked on him. If only he was good at recruiting…

Tsukishima wasn’t even at danger of being recruited. Even once they met, Yamaguchi did not sense any suicidal feelings from him. The mortal was dead set on living his life to the fullest, even if Tsukishima didn’t want to say it himself. Which meant that regardless who was on shift that night, if a recruiter came across a mortal that did not want to be recruited, they would’ve left them alone.

So it was by Yamaguchi’s own incompetence that he dragged in an unsuspecting, innocent mortal into this mess of a spirit world.

“…so different, don’t you think? If Tsukishima were to stick around?”

“Huh?” Yamaguchi piped in, interrupting Hinata. “What do you mean?”

The overly-cheerful spirit looked at him with an expression of eagerness. Hinata, despite his personality, was actually one of the founders of the Karasuno Recruitment Center back when Daichi, Suga and Ennoshita were looking for a place to settle. While Yamaguchi was the most recent spirit to die and join the center being a few decades old, Hinata was one of the oldest, centuries older than even Nishinoya or Tanaka. However, his childish personality hadn’t faded despite the years that continued to pile on.

“Karasuno’s going to be different!” Hinata repeated, a skip practically in his step. “Imagine how it’s going to be if a mortal were to start hanging around us now.”

Yamaguchi tried not to think about Tsukishima being a permanent fixture in his life here at the center. He remembered those fierce eyes that rebuked the spirituality within him with such severity. Tsukishima wanted nothing to do with him and his world and he doubted the mortal man would willingly come to Karasuno when he had such a good life out in the real world.

“I don’t think that’s possible, Shouyou,” Tanaka said, scratching at his head with a grim expression. “Didn’t you hear him? He doesn’t want to be one of us.”

Biting his lip, Yamaguchi inwardly sighed at Tanaka’s words. The things that not many people could put out there, these three spirits were the best at. Tanaka was ruthless, hitting many problems on the head regardless of situation. Sometimes Daichi would chide him for his lack of tact but Tanaka was right. Imagining a center with Tsukishima was impossible because if anything, he’d just storm out again and again, yearning for his life as a mortal.

“Plus, what would he do if he became a spirit?” Nishinoya asked casually, arms behind his head as he sauntered behind Hinata. “It’s not like we can make him recruit when he so obviously doesn’t even get what you guys do.”

Along with Asahi, Nishinoya was in charge of Karasuno’s weaponry where all of their reaping weapons were made, kept and maintained. He had the skill and talent to become a recruiter but had denied the job, opting to stand by the side of his larger friend. On top of Yamaguchi’s sense of inferiority in comparison to Tanaka’s ruthlessness and Hinata’s speed to get his jobs done, he felt that of all people, Nishinoya should have definitely taken the recruiter job rather than himself.

“No, he wouldn’t like that,” Yamaguchi said as he thought, fiddling with the handles of his _tantos_ at his sides. _He believes we’re murderers._

Hinata turned his head. “Hm? You seem to know a lot about him in just the short time you’ve met, Yamaguchi. What do you think? If he became a spirit and stayed here, where would you put him?”

‘ _He’s a writer, that’s all I know.’_ Yamaguchi wanted to say, but he knew it was a lie. Tsukishima was a writer with an intricate life story, intertwined with family problems, work challenges and the fact that his personality itself was a bit of an obstacle. “I can’t see him working paperwork with Ennoshita,” he mumbled and Nishinoya and Tanaka nodded their head in agreement. “Though I don’t think he’s completely unused to the desk scene.”

“Put him to work in the weaponry,” Tanaka suggested, only to get his side jabbed by Nishinoya’s quick fingers.

“Didn’t you hear the mortal? He sounds like a total jerk. He’ll make Asahi cry if we had someone like him inside of the weaponry for too long.”

Unable to hold back a smile, Yamaguchi couldn’t help but agree. While Nishinoya and Hinata were rays of sunshine that could easily overpower most people, Tsukishima seemed like the type of person that could tip over balances quickly. Plus, no one wanted to see Asahi in a state of distress.

However, it kind of saddened Yamaguchi once he realized that the Tsukishima now was the Tsukishima normally. When the mortal saved him, he had been tipsy and had opened up to Yamaguchi without a problem. He was easy to talk to and conversed easily in return, causing Yamaguchi to eagerly wait for another moment to talk to the man. However, realizing that Tsukishima was actually quite standoffish and prickly was almost like a punch in the gut since the friendship Yamaguchi _thought_ he could nurture between them was simply due to inebriation.

But that didn’t stop him from hoping. What happened to Tsukishima was his fault and in order to fix it, they needed to gain mutual trust. What’s so bad about shoving in some friendship along the way?

“Anyway, Daichi’ll figure it out, right?” Tanaka said, rubbing at his side as they turned down a hallway. “And we’ll protect him from any spectres, no problem!”

“How do we know he’s not a spectre himself?” Hinata asked, tilting his head from side to side. Sometimes it was hard to remember he was older than them all due to all of the questions he continued to ask. It simply proved that age didn’t _always_ make you older. Hinata was still definitely a child at heart.

Yamaguchi shook his head. “Ennoshita said so himself and I’m sure Daichi agrees. If Tsukishima had been a spectre, we would have all known. Plus, we would’ve seen his evil spirit begin to tear him apart.” He thought back to Tsukishima’s rigid stance, the fighting spirit in his words. He was so _alive_ it hurt to think about. “We don’t know what he is or what he’ll be, but he’s something else entirely.”

“So, not a spectre, but not a spirit…” Nishinoya hummed, running his fingers through his hair. “What should we call him? We can patent a label!”

“He’s not an item, Noya,” Tanaka laughed, though he furrowed his brows in thought as well.

“There might not be a point in giving him a label if Daichi’s working on finding a way to turn him back mortal anyway,” Yamaguchi pointed out. It was for the best, after all. Tsukishima’s life lay elsewhere, while Yamaguchi’s was here. It wasn’t as if they had anything else connecting them besides this bond that the chief of their center was promising to abolish. “Eventually, it’ll be like he was never here.”

Hinata looked up, the realization sparkling in his eyes. “Like a phantom.”

“A phantom?”

“Ohhh~!” Tanaka said, patting the shorter spirit heavily on the back. “That makes sense. Here and then not here! That’s Tsukishima Kei. A phantom.”

Yamaguchi smiled faintly, testing the word on his own tongue. “A phantom, huh? I guess we could call him that. Though not to his face.”

With the proud smiles his friends wore, a part of Yamaguchi regretted the fact that Tsukishima so adamantly wanted to leave his world. It was a fascinating experience for all of them, not only to have met a mortal, but to have met a mortal who wanted nothing to do with death. Like Yamaguchi, none of the spirits here had wanted to die. It was only by chance that they settled here and began working in a suicide forest. Their liveliness kept everyone happy but sometimes, the truth settled hard on everyone’s shoulders. They were dead and eternally so; there was no chance for them to come back. And as Japan continued to innovate around them, growing larger and more advanced, the spirits could only stay in their forest and watch as night by night, another person would come in with the weight of living too much of a burden on their shoulders.

In actuality, Yamaguchi hated his job. He doubted anyone else at Karasuno liked recruiting either. Seeing a person’s eyes filled with such dread and sorrow sometimes made him want to rush at their face and scream just why, _why_ , they wanted to give up so badly. Why would they want to throw away the beautiful thing they had that was called life? But time and time again, blades would slash through the night and spirits would be sent away, losing the one thing that could never be returned.

He supposed he couldn’t blame Tsukishima for wanting no part in it. Neither did he, honestly. But this was his home, his family. If only Tsukishima could understand that much, then perhaps the grit in his teeth and the clench of his hands would disappear.

They entered a room that was filled with the clanging of metal upon metal and it was immediately visible as Nishinoya tensed up in excitement, finally back in his zone. Even though they all lived there, it was still amusing to see the smallest spirit become so hyped up just to be surrounded by the things he loved.

Yamaguchi’s _tantos_ were forged by Asahi but designed and dipped in reaping fluid by Nishinoya who took pride in his detail and work. The two spirits worked brilliantly together, creating weapons that recruiter spirits from across spiritual Japan were desperate to get their hands on.

“Asahi!” Nishinoya called out, causing the man in the back of the room to startle a bit before looking up, a wary smile on his face in greeting. “We have news!”

“Noya,” the large spirit said, putting down his hammer. The blade behind him was still a lump of metal but in less than a day, it would be fashioned into something impressive. “and hello, you three.”

Their biggest member at Karasuno was Asahi, a friendly giant who, when he and Noya joined, immediately said that he’d make the weapons. His appearance had frightened Yamaguchi when he first stepped into the weaponry for his weapons and met Asahi. But when the spirit walked straight into a rack of spears and apologized to the _rack_ , Yamaguchi was more bewildered than scared.

“Hello, Asahi,” Yamaguchi greeted as Hinata and Tanaka went off to examine the latest sets of weapons. They all had their prized own of course, but nothing could diminish the awe towards Asahi’s perfect work. “Noya’s right, we do have news.”

“Oh?” The bigger spirit said, turning away to lower the heat of the furnace in which his latest creation was resting on. Unlike mortals, spirits were immune to everything so when Asahi reached into the fire to pat out the last of the coals, it was no surprise. “What happened?”

Nishinoya hoisted himself up to sit on the nearest table, pushing aside some undipped blades and throwing knives. “There’s a mortal here at Karasuno.”

Asahi jerked, turning to look at the two of them with wide eyes. “A mortal?”

“Mhm,” Nishinoya said, kicking his feet back and forth. “Yamaguchi here made the first ever phantom!”

“That’s not even a real term yet.”

Asahi’s brows creased in concern. “What do you mean? What’s a phantom?” He turned his large and worry-filled eyes towards Yamaguchi and the younger spirit was filled with the urge to reassure the man with a hug.

“It’s nothing bad, we hope,” he said. “On my shift last night, I ran into a mortal and he ended up touching me.”

“ _He_ touched _you?_ ”

Yamaguchi nodded. “So he’s not a spectre and we’ve decided to call him a phantom. But right now, Daichi’s trying to figure out how we can get him back to normal because apparently a bit of my spirit essence has latched onto him.”

“Oh?” Asahi murmured, rubbing at his chin. “That’s complicated. Are you sure it’s safe for him to be here? He’ll bring unwanted attention.”

“We know that, Asahi!” Tanaka called from across the room. He was expertly flinging a spear around his body while Hinata watched in awe. “That’s why he’s safe here. We’ll protect him in case any spectres decide to come knocking on his door!”

The tall man sent a wary smile towards Tanaka. “Our door.”

The spinning stopped. “What?” Yamaguchi asked, seeing the concern and understanding dawn on Nishinoya’s face across from him.

“We must protect ourselves as well, Yamaguchi. I have no doubts that you all can protect him here in the forest but don’t forget that it’ll mean drawing the spectres toward Karasuno. We have to protect our home as well.”

Fear began to blossom within Yamaguchi chest but it was quickly stifled when a small arm wrapped around his shoulders. He looked down to see Hinata smiling brightly at him. “Don’t frighten him, Asahi. We can protect Karasuno. With you and Noya’s amazing weapons, no one will get hurt if we can help it. Speaking of which, can Tsukishima protect himself?”

“Hm.” Nishinoya immediately hopped off the table and walked towards a set of weapons that were on display. Understanding immediately, Yamaguchi looked up at Asahi in surprise.

“We’re giving him weapons?” Though the larger man looked just as dubious.

“Why not?” Nishinoya said, hefting a samurai sword in his hand. “He doesn’t seem like the type to always hide behind someone and Daichi’ll probably give him the condition of not hurting anyone here since we’re trying to help him.” He pointed the tip at the window as he studied the blade. “We can give him a weapon or two.”

Yamaguchi bit his lip as Asahi meandered over as well, plucking the sword from Nishinoya. “This is too much for a mortal born in the 21st century.”

“How about these?” Nishinoya lifted a pair of _jitte_ , their tiny dual blades thin enough to look like fatal needles.

“No,” Yamaguchi murmured, having walked over to look at the weapons himself. The two weaponry masters looked over at him as he picked up various weapons and tested their weight.

 _What am I doing?_ He thought idly as he set down another _tanto_ and completely bypassed the handle of a long spear. _I know nothing about weapons and what fits a person. My small daggers are barely anything impressive. But this one doesn’t feel right…neither does this one… Tsukishima doesn’t look like he’d use that either._

“What are you thinking, Yamaguchi?” Nishinoya asked, crossed his arms and allowing the recruiter room to peruse the items.

_Aha!_

“What is this?” Yamaguchi asked, holding up a weapon. It looked almost exactly like his _tanto_ but with a blade twice as long and just slightly curved. It wasn’t as gaudy as a full-length sword or as long as a spear and it wasn’t hard to use and control like Daichi’s _kusarigama_ or throwing knives. Though it felt too much in Yamaguchi’s hand, he figured it’d be perfect for Tsukishima.

“A _wakizashi_ ,” Asahi said, holding his hand out for the weapon. Yamaguchi handed it over and the weapon maker studied its hilt and design. “They’re easy to make and I can have it done by the next time he comes around, perhaps. What do you say, Noya?”

“I say go ahead!” The smaller spirit said, grinning at Yamaguchi. “In fact, can we give him twin _wakizashis_?”

Asahi looked a bit alarmed and Yamaguchi shared the sentiment. “Two of them? Why would he need two?”

Pointing vaguely at Yamaguchi, Nishinoya shrugged. “Because I want to make a pair. Twin _tantos_ , twin _wakizashis_ , matching hilt designs.” Asahi’s brows went up while Yamaguchi felt heat fill his face. Why did he have to go so far-? “They have a _bond_ after all. I think it’s fitting, don’t you?”

Yamaguchi felt himself flush horribly as he tried to stutter out an excuse to Asahi’s questioning face. But it was all in vain when the larger man smiled widely and nodded.

“That’s a very sweet idea. I’ll make two.”

“A-Asahi!”

“Perfect!” Nishinoya crowed, catching the attention of Hinata and Tanaka. “He’ll leave here with a memento then, at least. Something to remember you by,” the small weapon maker said with a wink.

Yamaguchi wanted the floor to swallow him whole. “I-It really…isn’t like that-“

The two weaponry masters smiled as Hinata and Tanaka came over to the table, the spear held over his shoulder. “Hey, I was thinking. What’s going to happen if we decide to bring him to Yokohama? Won’t people know he’s mortal?”

The four other spirits blinked at the question before all letting out various sounds of thought.

 _Yokohama_ , Yamaguchi thought, looking up towards the ceiling. Like what he assured Tsukishima, the spirit world wasn’t all recruitment centers. Yokohama Street was the main area where all spirits from various places came together. It was bustling and full of life with shops and restaurants crammed into every corner possible. There were constant festivals and parties as well as celebrations just for the sake of it. It was what made the spirits who were stuck in the mortal realm still feel the excitement they had lost when they died.

They went there often enough and Karasuno was actually quite popular in Yokohama. People knew of their successful recruitment center and many shops knew each recruiter’s name personally. Asahi and Nishinoya sold their weapons there, spreading around an even better reputation in regards to their craftsmanship.

If Yamaguchi wanted to prove to Tsukishima that the spirit world was just as amazing as the mortal world, Yokohama would’ve been the first place he’d take him to.

“Hey, Hinata,” Yamaguchi began, watching the other perk up out of his thoughts.

“What’s up, Yamaguchi?”

“What do we look like to mortals? Tsukishima said we looked like we were smoking? But to me, he looks just like us. However, I can just tell that’s mortal.”

The older spirit leaned back against the table, thinking. “I haven’t really met enough mortals to ask but I’m sure there’s a reason. Tsukishima definitely looked mortal but it was more of a feeling. But that’s not going to help if he were to go to Yokohama. We might not have felt his presence when he arrived but his mortality isn’t completely hidden.”

A slap on Yamaguchi’s shoulder nearly made him tumble forward as he looked up to see a grinning Tanaka. “We’ll burn that bridge when we get there, yeah? You’ve got a guest.”

They all looked up to see the chief of the center standing in the weaponry’s doorway with Tsukishima standing awkwardly behind him. The mortal was looking around the room warily and Yamaguchi realized that it probably wasn’t the best idea to introduce him to people inside of a room filled with spiritual weapons. He looked just on the edge of nervous but Yamaguchi walked over, smiling in an attempt to soothe the other’s worry.

“Tsukishima,” he said, trying not to feel too wounded when the mortal turned his head slightly away with a quiet ‘tsk’. “This is the weaponry room. It’s where we have our reaping weapons made.”

“Yamaguchi,” Daichi said, giving the smaller spirit a smile. “Can you please escort Tsukishima back to the station? It’s about time he got back. Tsukishima,” He added quietly, looking at the mortal, “We will never be your enemies so I promise everything will be alright.” After Tsukishima and Yamaguchi nodded, Daichi gave the other spirits inside of the room a small wave before turning around and walking away.

Tsukishima was still fidgeting awkwardly by the doorway, eyes never resting on one weapon for too long. Awkwardly, Yamaguchi shifted on his feet. “Would you like to meet everyone?”

“Sure.” His tone flat.

In a flash, Hinata and Nishinoya were at Yamaguchi’s sides, sticking their hands out at the same time towards Tsukishima. They were bursting with eagerness since their original introductions were interrupted by Daichi’s arrival earlier on. Yamaguchi tried not to laugh at the startled expression on the mortal’s face.

“Hey! I’m Nishinoya, but everyone calls me Noya! I heard you’re a mortal with a case of bad luck so I’m making you a weapon to make sure you don’t fail at keeping your life!”

“I’m Hinata! Everyone calls me Hinata! I’m a recruiter like Yamaguchi so I’m kind of bummed I wasn’t on shift when he got to meet you. Gaaahh! Mortals are so cool. It’s been ages since I last spoke to one.”

Tsukishima looked absolutely stunned at the sheer force of energy that was Hinata’s and Nishinoya’s introductions that he even took a step back, ignoring their outstretched hands. “I’m…Tsukishima,” he ended up spluttering out, reintroducing himself in bewilderment.

“Noya, Hinata, give him space to breathe,” Yamaguchi said with a hesitant laugh. If anything, Tsukishima looked like he wanted to go _right now_ , introductions be damned. But there was still…

“Oi.” A spear came swinging through the air and the tip stopped just inches away from Tsukishima’s face. The mortal’s pallor immediately turned white while Yamaguchi shouted.

“T-Tanaka! What are you doing?!”

“I’m Tanaka. You’re not allowed to be a jerk to anyone here so watch out or else I’ll mess you up.”

Nishinoya was cackling wildly at his friend’s words and Hinata looked a bit bemused. Yamaguchi was frantically trying to pull the spear down from Tsukishima’s face when a large figure came up from behind them, dwarfing them all.

If Tsukishima wasn’t terrified yet, he might’ve been trembling now.

 _Oh my god, this is awful_ , Yamaguchi thought in despair.

“Hello,” Asahi said politely with hints of unease in his eyes. “I’m Asahi. Nishinoya and I make the weapons. Please excuse Tanaka, he’s always like this. (Hey-!) It’s nice to have you here.”

_He says it’s nice but I doubt Tsukishima thinks so! He looks like he’s going to faint!_

Tsukishima was silent for about a minute before he pushed his glasses up with a finger. He bowed slightly once. “Thank you for having me here.”

The shock registered in Yamaguchi was almost too much to handle. _He’s polite in return!_

Satisfied with his answer and knowing that they were being more than overwhelming, Nishinoya dragged Tanaka back into the weaponry room while Hinata gave him a small wave. “See you next time!” The smallest spirit said before bounding after his friends. Asahi gave him another wary smile as he turned away.

Yamaguchi stepped out into the hallway before letting out a huge sigh. “I am _so_ sorry. They’re just always like that and I know Asahi might seem huge but-“

“It’s fine,” Tsukishima said abruptly.

Biting his lip, Yamaguchi nodded. “Back to the station, right?” The mortal nodded silently as he followed the spirit to the door.

 _I can’t read him at all; it’s like he’s got a face of stone. They were all too much… does Tsukishima not want to talk to any of them again?_ Yamaguchi bit the inside of his cheek as they walked through the center, the voices of various spirits that Tsukishima had yet to meet filling both of their ears.

“So,” he said a bit awkwardly, sliding open the front door. “What did he talk to you about?”

It was a few seconds before Tsukishima said: “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Sorry, Tsukki.”

He stayed quiet for a bit since he didn’t want to pry. They were already down the stone path and Tsukishima was stepping onto the platform when the spirit spoke up, quickly. “I’m sorry. I really am.”

Tsukishima turned his head to stare at the spirit with a straight face. “What are you talking about?”

Tugging at the edges of his sleeves, Yamaguchi looked towards the tracks instead of Tsukishima’s eyes. “I’m sorry for dragging you into this whole mess. It’s all my fault that you’re here.”

“No it wasn’t?” The confusion in Tsukishima’s voice made Yamaguchi lift his head. “You were getting beat up. I was trying to help you. How was that your fault?”

“I…” Yamaguchi stared at the mortal in surprise. Tsukishima wasn’t even trying to reassure him. Instead, he was genuinely wondering why Yamaguchi felt the way he did. _I should’ve been stronger_ , he could say. _I should’ve been able to ward the Edgesiders off myself. Or maybe just recruit better. I didn’t deserve your selfless help. And it’s selfless, no matter how much he tries to hide it with a thorny personality._

With a faint smile he nodded, accepting Tsukishima’s words without protest.

“Besides, you guys are going to make it up to me, somehow.” There was no room for negotiation in his words.

Immediately, Yamaguchi perked up. “I know! I’ll bring you to Yokohama Street! It’s where all the spirits go to enjoy themselves and it’s just like any other entertainment street in Japan, I swear. There’s amazing restaurants and festivals happen all the time. I think you’d really enjoy it.”

Tsukishima looked vaguely amused at Yamaguchi’s excitement and he looked up when he heard the faint chime of the trolley. “I meant that you’d make it up by making sure I don’t turn into a spirit, but I guess that works too.”

Yamaguchi smiled, happy that the other man was at least considering going to Yokohama. “A phantom.”

“A what?”

“You’re a phantom. That’s what we decided on calling you.” _What happened to not calling it to his face? Somehow he makes me want to tell him everything about our world._

Tsukishima gave him a bemused look as the trolley grew closer and he let out a small ‘tch’. “Whatever. Spirit, phantom, spectre. I have no intention of being any of them. I have a life of my own, you know.”

“I know,” Yamaguchi said, trying to keep the ruefulness out of his voice. It wasn’t a crime to at least wish, was it? “How’s your job going?”

With a raised brow, Tsukishima let out a snort. “It’s only been a day since I last saw you. Nothing really happened at work.” The trolley stopped in front of him and the doors slid open. Yamaguchi stared at the vehicle, wishing it would just disappear so that he could continue talking to Tsukishima forever.

“I see, I see. Well, do you think there’ll ever be a time I can read something you’ve written?”

Tsukishima looked up in surprise at Yamaguchi’s request, one foot already in the trolley. He stared at the spirit, scrutinizing him for a bit, before the shadow of a smile appeared on his face.

“Maybe. I guess I could bring something over next time.” Glee filled Yamaguchi’s chest at the words ‘next time’ and as the doors slid shut, Tsukishima lifted a hand. “See you around, Yamaguchi.”

In return, the spirit gave him an enthusiastic wave. “See you later!”

           

           

           

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **[WEAPONS](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/5e/f9/ee/5ef9eeb8b1e34a007ecd8036491ecbaa.jpg)**  
>  ^ This is a link to an image that I use to explain the different weapons that the recruiters have. Basically, it's the same concept as a grim reaper and his scythe (but that'd be too cliche lol). So the tantos and wakizashis that Tsukki and Kei have are shown on the photo and even Daichi's kusarigama. **If you were wondering about the clinking with Daichi's kimono, it'll be explained if you look at the photo.**
> 
> Also! I'm sorry if it feels a bit slow? Just a chapter more I believe and the foundations of the story's setting will be completed. I also just really wanted to get Yama's POV out there because with all this Tsukki, you'd want to know how Yams is, right? Bear with me!
> 
> I'd appreciate it if you could **KUDOS** if you liked the story :D I'd love to get this out there for more people to read in any way. Plus, now that season 3 is over and Kei is proven MVP, who doesn't want more of him?  
>  I also breathe and live because of **comments** :)
> 
> Ja ne~!


	4. Reason of Moving

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are a few more songs mentioned in this chapter! Two, to be precise.

The stars glittered like gems embedded in a velvety black swab of cloth that covered the entire night sky. Even if the world changed around those who had died, the sky continued to stay the same. Buildings towered over forests that steadily grew taller and taller and the sounds had morphed from those of carriages to those of cars. Streets became asphalt and technology was invented to make everyone’s lives exponentially easier. Even the language shifted, slang and new lingo being created almost every day.

Yet many things still stayed the same. The trees still rustled in the breeze, their leaves falling to create a blanket of autumn colours when the year turned. Animals still walked around, scavenging for food or fighting to survive. The sky still shone with the sun’s vibrancy and the stars still winked like they hid secrets from the world.

It was important to keep the things that never changed close to one’s heart. The years would pass by in a flash, marking their change only by new innovations that the mortal world provided. It was different once you’ve died, knowing that there is no such thing as an ‘endgame’ anymore. Mortals had an impending, inevitable fate waiting for them at the end of their lives. They toiled each day before then, making sure to make the best of the life they were given. But once one became a spirit, stuck within the mortal realm, time stood still.

No one was sure why some spirits went straight to the afterlife and others appeared as spirits in the mortal realm, doomed to walk the earth forever. Over time, people just didn’t bother to question it anymore. If you appeared as a spirit above your body then that was your fate forever more. You had to find a place to settle and your Reason of Moving.

A spirit’s Reason was their motivation in the mortal realm. No spirit that walked the ground of mortals had ever been to the afterlife so no one knew what could have been. Instead, they were forced to look upon the same earth they had been born on, now doomed to spend eternity on. Many spirits lost their sanity, going to great and dangerous lengths to try and find a way into the afterlife. But it was proven that the only way a spirit could pass on was if they were turned into a spectre and destroyed. That fact itself struck terror within everyone.

A Reason was then constructed which gave spirits determination within their eternal lives. Some spirits opened up shops, providing entertainment and food for other spirits. Some became guardians of sorts to mortals that they cared for and their future generations. Some spirits like Daichi decided to help the tormented mortal souls. It made the spirits get up and move rather than wallow in despair and everyone’s reason was vastly different.

Yamaguchi had a habit of counting the stars and he called that his Reason of Moving. Unlike Daichi who’s heart burned to save souls and Suga who lived to protect his close family and friends, Yamaguchi’s Reason was simple. Counting the stars helped him see how the world changed.

One could say that the sky never changed but the stars did. Stars died and new stars became born and after decades of time under his belt, Yamaguchi had a decent awareness of when a new sparkling light made its way into the black sea of the sky or if one flickered out.

But like his skill in recruiting, Yamaguchi knew that his Reason was just as weak. It wasn’t enough to motivate a spirit like himself to do a great job in recruiting nor was it enough to help him open up some sort of new shop or building that could benefit the spirit world in any way. When he moseyed over to Karasuno, lost and asking for help, he didn’t question the kindness that Daichi and Suga offered to him when they took him in. He tried his best yet it wasn’t enough. The only difference from when he was mortal to now was that technically, he had all the time in the world to get better.

Laying on his back on the roof of the center, Yamaguchi raised his hand to the sky to study his wrist. For the past couple of days, Daichi made sure that he hadn’t gone on shift to recruit. Apparently he had seemed so rattled after Tsukishima’s appearance that their chief didn’t think he could recruit properly any time soon.

He wanted to say that it hurt hearing Daichi say that but ultimately, it was the truth. Yamaguchi’s terrible recruiting would simply be nonexistent if he went out frazzled. But he felt better now, now that he had time to simply sit and think about what was going on.

His mind wandered to Tsukishima, where it usually wandered to recently, and he wondered how the mortal was doing at this very moment. _Probably asleep,_ Yamaguchi thought absently, staring at the unmoving stars above him. _I wonder what his schedule is like. Do writers have busy schedules? I’ve never met one before._

Turning his wrist, he stared at the darkened portion of his skin. It looked vaguely like a bruise or if he went out and got tanned except for that one section on his body. He wasn’t able to closely examine Tsukishima and he wondered what his palm looked like.

There was still something that neither he nor Daichi told Tsukishima about his situation but that was probably because neither of them were sure about what the result would ultimately be. Tsukishima wasn’t simply turning into a spirit; he was dying. He would lose his mortality to death and most likely become a spirit stuck to walk the earth forever with Yamaguchi and the rest of Karasuno.

But what worried Yamaguchi the most was the pain involved in the transformation. Spectres and vengeful spirits died a horrible death, their screams of pain and agony ripping through the forest like shrieks you’d hear on the battlefield. They were sounds no one would ever want to hear. But what would Tsukishima’s death be like? Would he slowly begin to start aching? Would it hit him all at once?

Part of Yamaguchi knew that it was completely inappropriate to envision what someone’s death would be like but it wasn’t like he could help it. Daichi’s worried face after Tsukishima left was enough of a sign to tell him that the chief of the center had no clue how to even start looking for a solution to Tsukishima’s problem.

The most they could do right now was to ease Tsukishima slowly into the idea of being a spirit – a feat easier said than done.

It wasn’t like he could pat Tsukishima on the back and say ‘Hey by the way, this could be a painful process.’ Tanaka probably would, but it wasn’t going to make the situation any better.

With a sigh, the spirit sat up to study his wrist closely. Their _bond_ didn’t hurt, at least. When Tsukishima grabbed onto him that one night, he didn’t feel anything other than a hand around his wrist. Of course, he wasn’t sure what Tsukishima felt on his end. Was he hurting? Did the bond have special effects on mortals?

Yamaguchi remembered moments between their first meeting and now when he felt a stray emotion that he was absolutely positive wasn’t his. After decades of being in tune with himself, it was pretty easy to pick out when a feeling suddenly wafted into his chest that he was definitely not feeling at the moment.

He didn’t want to bring it up because Tsukishima already seemed like he had the world and more on his plate to deal with, but it was an interesting concept that he questioned. Could they feel each other’s emotions? Could they communicate telepathically? Perhaps that was a stretch, but Tsukishima existence as a phantom was one as well, so why not think big, right?

Hesitantly, he closed his eyes and focused on his bond, sending out a probing thought. He had no clue how it worked and he doubted anyone could help him either so he felt a bit lame thinking _‘Um. Tsukki? Tsukishima? Can you feel this…?’_

Almost immediately he was met with a wild burst of emotions so strong that Yamaguchi physically lurched forward with a gasp.

_Awake. Confusion. Fear. Terror. Panic. Realization. Reluctance. Unwillingness._

_Withdrawal. Withdrawal. Withdrawal._

Guilt filled his chest when he realized what he had done. Yamaguchi had forgotten that it was the middle of the night and he hadn’t bothered to think about what the bond could have done. He’d woken Tsukishima up by confusing him and not only that but the other man seemed wholeheartedly against the sharing of emotions.

The moment the mortal realized what was happening, Yamaguchi felt like he had run straight into a wall. The bond seemed to attempt to splutter shut, as if Tsukishima was doing everything he could do to shut it down and only once Yamaguchi pulled away did the connection finally close.

_He must really hate this,_ Yamaguchi thought absently as he let out a sigh. Yes, the bond surprised him as well and it wasn’t hard to realize that they were _very_ bonded, but the knowledge that Tsukishima was practically repulsed by it made the spirit pout a bit.

_What can I do to show him that this world isn’t all that bad?_ It was awful that Tsukishima had to learn about the spirit world through Karasuno and its goals. If the mortal had run into someone like Ukai at a restaurant, perhaps it could have gone completely differently. Tsukishima might have realized that the spiritual world was not something to be afraid of and that Karasuno truly was just an odd place out. It wasn’t that Yamaguchi was trying to get Tsukishima used to the spirit world – even he knew that the mortal was intelligent enough to see the meaning behind it and understand that Yamaguchi assumed he’d turn into a spirit.

But all he wanted was for Tsukishima to understand that they were not all bad. In fact, even some spirits were a bit wary of Karasuno and their work.

With his mind made up, he hopped off of the roof to go searching for a certain someone.

_He_ has _to go to Yokohama._

\----

“Yachi!”

The small girl jerked and spun around, a smile appearing on her face when she saw Yamaguchi running towards her and waving.

“Yamaguchi!” She said in greeting, shifting the basket of clothes to her waist. “How are you?”

Yachi was a few years older as a spirit than Yamaguchi was. They had died around the same time and of all of them at Karasuno, Yachi’s death story was one of the saddest.

She had been brutally murdered in her own bed by intruders that were after her father. Used as a hostage and killed in the process, Yachi hadn’t even known that her father was deeply involved with illegal business until it was too late. Her parents had gone straight to the spirit world so when she appeared in the middle of Yokohama street, lost and delusional, she had nearly gone crazy with confusion.

Luckily, Kiyoko had been in the area when she heard a commotion on the street side. Turns out men had tried to grab Yachi during her emotional distress, only to be beaten up successfully by the tiny girl. Kiyoko immediately brought her to Karasuno and claimed that she’d be her apprentice.

When Yamaguchi joined the Center, he was surprised at first to see such a small girl with the title of recruiter. But after seeing her train under the ruthless mentorship of Kiyoko, it was no wonder that she was one of the best recruiters in the Center. She had the smile of an angel but the strength of a monster.

But what brought Yamaguchi and Yachi together was the fact that they were the most recent to die, meaning that they still remembered their mortal lives the most. Like all spirits in the early years of their death, they yearned for their living life on the cursed earth that they now walked on. Together they were sorrowful yet together they supported each other. Yachi was a breath of fresh air that much of the center needed.

“I’m doing fine,” Yamaguchi smiled. “Are you busy?”

“Not so much,” the girl replied, walking down the hallway once again with Yamaguchi trailing her. “I just have to drop these off in my room. Can I help you with anything?”

Shaking his head, Yamaguchi hummed. “Just felt like talking to someone. Tanaka and Saeko are on shift and Noya’s busy with Asahi making Tsukishima’s weapons.”

Yachi turned her head, confusion on her face. “Tsukishima… Is that the mortal?”

“Oh! That’s right, you haven’t met him yet.” Nodding, he smiled faintly at the thought of Tsukishima meeting Yachi. Would he be polite? No one could ever be mean to Yachi. “Yeah, he’s the mortal who touched me. He’s turning into a phantom.”

With a giggle, Yachi’s eyes filled with mirth. “Did you make up with that term? What’s it supposed to mean?”

Scratching his cheek, Yamaguchi chuckled. “I think Hinata did. It means that… That he’s here, but he won’t be soon.” He trailed off, realizing that it was a much sadder thought then he realized.

Yachi opened the door to her immaculate room and placed the basket of clothes on her bed. Turning towards him, they headed back towards the kitchen. “Hmm, I see. I’ve heard a bit from Nishinoya but it seems like you’ve got a real big problem on your hands, don’t you Yamaguchi?”

Exhaling, he nodded. “We need to help him; Daichi said he absolutely will… but he doesn’t trust us, I don’t think.”

“Would _you_? If you were a mortal and the spirit that gave you the problem is now promising to help you?”

Pressing his lips thin at that, Yamaguchi tilted his head side to side. “Yeah… Yeah, makes sense. I sound sketchy.”

“So?” He looked up at the girl who was sliding into a chair at the counter. “What are you trying to do about it?”

“I want to take him to Dragon Night,” Yamaguchi admitted, thinking of the next upcoming festival in Yokohama. It was just another festival that kept spirits alike as lively as possible and in the evening was the famous Starlight Parade. It was a favourite event amongst the Karasuno members. “I think that if I take him to something in Yokohama, he’ll realize that the spirit world’s more fun than just Karasuno.”

Yachi laughed. “What, we’re no fun here?”

Biting his lip in embarrassment, Yamaguchi coughed. “We’re fun!” he protested. “Yokohama’s just…more fun.”

A faint smile appeared on the other spirit’s face. “It really is a shame he had to learn about us the way he did.”

Really, Yachi knew him far too well it sometimes scared him.

“Exactly,” Yamaguchi groaned, dropping his head to press it against the smooth countertop. “He thinks we’re all murderers and that he’s going to be killed by one of us eventually. We have a bond and all but he absolutely hates it and I think he hates me. Which I can’t blame him because I _am_ the reason he’s stuck in this mess but it’s not like I wanted him to! And all I want is for him to-“

“Tadashi, Tadashi, relax,” Yachi said, reaching out to rub his forearm lightly. “Tsukishima will think what he thinks and it’s not your fault that he came to help you. It really isn’t.”

Yamaguchi let out a noncommittal sound against the counter.

“But I think it’s very considerate of you to try and show him the wonders of the spirit world. We do have fantastic things and that you want to show Tsukishima is not a crime. I think bringing him to Yokohama is a great idea!”

He shifted his head so that he was peering up at Yachi’s understanding face through strands of brown hair. “What if he doesn’t even enjoy it and he’s just dead set against everything?”

Yachi’s smiled only grew brighter. “Then he’s an idiot. Who could _not_ enjoy Dragon night?”

“Alright,” Yamaguchi breathed, sitting up and rubbing his face. Across from him he heard Yachi start. “What?”

“Your wrist! What is that?”

“Oh?” Yamaguchi twisted his arm in front of him before laying it on the table in front of Yachi. She didn’t look horrified and instead was peering at it curiously. “This is the bond. It’s where he touched me. Apparently we can feel each other’s emotions but Tsukishima doesn’t seem to like it whenever I try.”

Small fingers gently pressed at the bruise-like spot but it didn’t hurt Yamaguchi whatsoever. “That’s so strange…” Yachi murmured before pulling up. “You’d need to cover that up if you go to Yokohama. People are going to question and it’s not in a very subtle spot.”

“I know,” Yamaguchi muttered. “I also need to find a way to hide Tsukishima’s mortality if he were to go. His presence is already shrouded but he looks mortal so it doesn’t do much.”

“I can make you a bracelet!”

He looked at his cheerful friend in confusion. “What?”

“A bracelet,” Yachi repeated. “Or a cuff. For your wrist. You can ask Nishinoya and Asahi about the shroud itself but I can make you something to cover that up. I’ll make you two something matching!”

_Matching weapons, matching jewelry. What are we, a couple?_

“What…?”

Yachi was already on a roll, rubbing at her chin in thought. “I’ll make some sort of cuff for you but the design can be the same for Tsukishima’s bracelet.”

“Why would he need a bracelet?” Yamaguchi asked in bewilderment.

“Well, what’s he going to use to shroud him? It’s not like he can walk around holding some sort of large item. It’s got to be something small and unnoticeable, like an amulet of sorts.”

Yachi’s logic was sound and the male spirit found himself nodding. “Right. Um, is that possible?”

She shrugged. “You can ask Nishinoya how the technicalities work. But even if it’s something like a stone or whatever you’d like, I can make it a bracelet.”

Yamaguchi couldn’t help but smile gratefully at his best friend. Yachi went far and beyond for the people she cared about, even if she had no reason to. She was supportive to a whole new level and even though Yamaguchi told her that a mortal had now entered his life, she hadn’t said a single word against it.

Sometimes he was jealous of her goodwill on top of her exceptional recruiting skills. Yachi could slice a mortal into the afterlife without batting an eye whereas Yamaguchi still stood terrified, watching the mortal take his own life with his own hands. He once asked her for her secret but all she did was smile and pat his shoulder. _‘We all deal with it in our own way, Yamaguchi. You have to find how you accept it yourself.’_

“Thank you,” Yamaguchi said earnestly, reaching out to grasp her hands. She squeezed back tightly in return.

“Of course. On the condition that I get to meet him as soon as he comes back again. I’d really like to see this phantom!”

Grinning, Yamaguchi nodded his head quickly. “Absolutely. You’ll be the first to know.”

\----

Poking his head into the weaponry, he shouldn’t have been shocked to see Nishinoya hanging by his legs on a rafter in the ceiling. _How_ the spirit got up there was a mystery but the real question was how Asahi was working without even caring that the other was hanging like a bat.

“Uh, Noya? Asahi?”

Wide eyes snapped to him and Asahi turned around.

“YamAGUCHIIII!” A body was flying at him from the sky and Yamaguchi barely stepped away in time to watch Nishinoya barrel into the ground but come to a perfect rolling stop.

Asahi’s worried eyes follow Nishinoya before sliding back to Yamaguchi. There wasn’t much he could say anyway – Nishinoya did as Nishinoya pleased. “How are you, Yamaguchi?”

“Good!” He said, stepping inside of the weaponry. Nishinoya followed him, clasping his back. “I need to ask you two for a favour.”

“Yeah? What’s up?” Asahi returned back to hammering but Yamaguchi knew he was listening.

Fiddling with his sleeves, Yamaguchi knew that he might be asking for too much. There were no current orders that were pressing the craftsmen so the weapon Asahi was making was most likely Tsukishima’s _wakizashis_. Yamaguchi didn’t even know how the mortal was going to pay for it, or if he was even supposed to.

“I was wondering, is it possible for you guys to dip other things in the reaping fluid other than weapons?”

“Yes,” Asahi said as he slammed his tool down repeatedly. “It’s fluid so technically we can throw whatever we want it. But why?”

_Because I don’t want to hand Tsukishima a weapon and tell him that this is the only way he can look like a spirit._

“So you can dip like, a stone?”

Nishinoya blinked up at him in confusion. “Why would you want to dip a stone?”

_Just be direct for god’s sake, Tadashi. Why’d you even have to drag this out in the first place? Maybe because I suck at asking for things directly._

“I want to find a way to make Tsukishima look completely mortal so that I can take him to Yokohama.” Nishinoya and Asahi perked up at the street’s name. “His presence is already shrouded so no one would feel that he’s a spirit but he still looks like one. I was wondering if it’s possible to find a way to dip a stone that he could use as a bracelet that would shroud his mortality completely, yet not send him immediately to the afterlife.”

Asahi set down his hammer and crossed his arms. Nishinoya looked a bit confused at the question and he hummed loudly.

“Like…dilution?”

Yamaguchi looked at the larger spirit who was eyeing a doorway in the corner. It led to the small room where they kept the large tankard of reaping fluid. It was dangerous because while spirits didn’t get affected when they touched or got hurt by reaping weapons, reaping fluid in the hands of the wrong person was a cause for trouble. “What do you mean?”

“Yes, yes Asahi! That totally works!” Nishinoya was already jumping up and punching the air. “A new experiment! Hell yeah!”

Asahi smiled warmly at the excited smaller spirit before turning towards Yamaguchi and his confused expression. “We can do it. It shouldn’t take long. It’s simply taking the reaping fluid and diluting its qualities so that as soon as it touches the mortal, it doesn’t turn him into a spirit which is sent straight to the afterlife. Instead we’ll stop it after the first step. Kind of like a temporary spirituality.”

“Is that possible?” Yamaguchi said happily. “Thank you so much!”

“Any time, Yamaguchi,” Nishinoya said with a grin, throwing him a thumbs up. “I can mess around with it while Asahi makes Tsukishima’s weapons. I’ll let you know how it goes!”

Bowing deeply, Yamaguchi felt appreciation bloom in his chest. “Thank you!”

“Just give us whatever you want us to dip.”

“I will, Asahi!”

\----

Yamaguchi’s next point of interest was to find Daichi. If the chief wasn’t busy, he was going to ask him questions about Tsukishima. The spirit hadn’t hounded the other man the day after the mortal left so right now should be socially acceptable to question, right?

Instead he found Suga in the chief’s office, perusing through some files in a cabinet. The calm spirit looked up when he entered and gave Yamaguchi a small wave.

Suga, despite his warm and delicate appearance, was Karasuno’s swords master. There was not a single person who believed it when he told them but it was truth. Suga taught them all how to wield their weapons, even Daichi himself. Their history was still an enigma, since neither Daichi nor Suga spoke about their mortal past much, but Yamaguchi swore he once heard the swords master call their chief ‘master’ once.

“Hi, Yamaguchi,” the older spirit said warmly, sliding the file back into the cabinet. “Are you looking for Daichi? He’s with Ennoshita and I’m heading over right now. Want to come with?”

At the smaller spirit’s affirmative, the two began to head towards Ennoshita’s office when Suga reached over to squeeze Yamaguchi’s arm gently.

“How are you?” He asked and Yamaguchi wasn’t entirely sure how to answer.

“Um, I’m good,” he said, giving his senior a reassuring smile. “Much better.”

Suga nodded as they turned a corner. “I have yet to meet your mortal but Daichi told me enough to get an idea of the situation.” Yamaguchi nodded, unsure where the other was going with this. “I bet you’re worried about causing him pain.”

The hammer hit the nail on the head. Yamaguchi grimaced at the blatant fact and he stopped walking to drop his head. Yes, he was worried – absolutely petrified. He’d been pushing aside thoughts of what his punishment might be from Daichi’s end because he absolutely could not think about what might happen if he was kicked out.

“I know it’s hard,” he heard Suga say and he looked up to see firm grey eyes trained on him. Even though he and Suga weren’t inherently close personally, the other spirit still had a way to make most situations feel exponentially better. “I think it would be hard for anyone to imagine that they gave a completely innocent person a life filled with possible pain.”

Yamaguchi worried his bottom lip and Suga continued to speak with a soft hum. “But I think you’re being very strong. The mortal must be going through a very rough time trying to accept this so the fact that you’re trying your best to help him is admirable.”

Praise from Suga was automatically a high praise for anyone so Yamaguchi couldn’t help but preen. “Even if he’s hurting?”

“You don’t know if he’s hurting and you’ll never know unless he tells you.”

_Or if I feel it in our bond._ But he didn’t bother to voice the thought.

“But as long as you continue to be there for him while he’s struggling in our world, I’m sure you both will be able to take something meaningful away from the experience.”

They arrived at Ennoshita’s door where Daichi was just stepping out of and Yamaguchi shot Suga a grateful smile. _He’s probably the heart of Karasuno,_ he thought absently. _Without Suga, I don’t think we could do much without any encouragement._

Daichi smiled happily when he saw them, walking over and pressing a quick kiss on Suga’s cheek. Yamaguchi looked away momentarily, a flush on his face. They had been together since Karasuno began but it was still a bit embarrassing to see the chief act overly affectionate. _I don’t think Daichi could do much without him either._

“Yamaguchi? Did you need something?”

Suga excused himself to go into Ennoshita’s office and the door slid shut behind him and the chief. The hallway was quiet since the Tanaka siblings, who were usually the enablers of Karasuno’s noise, were out in the forest. He shifted slightly, wondering how he should start off his thoughts.

“Are you wondering about Tsukishima?”

Startled, Yamaguchi couldn’t help but flush slightly. “Ah- Yeah,” he mumbled. “Sorry, I wasn’t sure… I don’t know what to even ask.”

Daichi chuckled good-naturedly, sliding his hands into his sleeves. “It’s fine. A lot’s happened. I hope you’ve been taking your break easy?”

Like a punch in the gut Yamaguchi remembered immediately that Daichi told him not too long ago to take the next few days off just to calm down. Daichi had done so much for him, even accepting Tsukishima without properly knowing what he was and vowing to help him. Suddenly, asking for more information felt like he was pushing the chief’s niceness.

He threw his upper torso forward in a deep bow, hearing Daichi startle in front of him. “Yes!” he all but shouted. “Thank you so much for giving me these days off! I promise to work hard on my next shift.”

There was loud laughter and Yamaguchi chanced a look upwards to see that the chief had a hand covering his mouth. “Yamaguchi, you really are great to be around.” The younger spirit smiled shyly. “I’m glad you feel better. Now will you ask me what you want to know?”

With his own small smile, he tugged at the edges of his own kimono’s sleeves. “I was wondering… When you talked to Tsukishima privately, what was it about? If you can’t tell me, I understand, but if there’s anything I can do to help him, I’d like to know what it is.”

Daichi sighed at the question, nodding his head. “I know. It’s nothing entirely different than what you and Ennoshita told him. I simply hoped that if it were just me and him, I could persuade him.” Yamaguchi waited for an explanation patiently. “But Tsukishima is still very set on the idea that we aren’t good people.”

Nodding sadly, Yamaguchi tried not to pout. “I already told him that we’re not murderers.”

“After years of being a recruiter, we come to accept that idea. But for mortals, it’s hard for them to connect killing people with saving. I’m sure you know.”

Yamaguchi was aware. He was very aware. His mortal life had revolved around that concept. Saving.

“I also told him upfront that there is no doubt that spectres will go after him. He’s different and rare – everyone who knows about him will want to have him.”

“Did he take that well?”

“As well as Tsukishima can. He’s a very aloof man. But I also told him that Karasuno is his safe haven and no matter what happens, we will do everything we can to help him.” Daichi looked a bit rueful. “He didn’t seem to want my help but he admitted that he had no choice, if he wanted to protect the people in his life.”

Yamaguchi nodded, understanding. He thought back to when Tsukishima was stepping on that platform. There was determination in his eyes, the type that you rarely ever saw on spirits. It was the determination found only in mortals – their own type of Reason to keep living. He was a little jealous at Tsukishima’s stubbornness to stay alive but he blamed that on the fact that he’d been dead for so long that the barrier of mortality and spirituality looked like a blurry line to Yamaguchi. _Did I ever look that determined when I was alive?_

“He has a brother,” he supplied Daichi who raised an eyebrow. “He has a brother and some friends from work. He’s a writer.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah! He’s an author apparently. I asked if I could read some of his work.”

Daichi smiled appreciatively, a look in his eyes that Yamaguchi couldn’t exactly pinpoint. “He’s not the most cooperative of people yet you talk about him like he’s a friend.”

The statement confused the smaller spirit and he cocked his head. “But… I feel like he is. Or at least he could be. Don’t you think?”

A small flicker of surprise flitted across Daichi’s face but the chief simply grinned and crossed his arms, nodding. “Absolutely.”

Knowing the answer but wanting reassurance, he asked the other spirit, “Will he be back?”

“He will, I know that. When? I’m not entirely sure. This place isn’t exactly an obligation for him. But Tsukishima needs us and he knows it. He’ll return.”

That’s right, this place wasn’t an obligation. Other than getting fixed, Tsukishima had no reason to come back to Karasuno whatsoever. He didn’t even have to come over to say hello. For some reason, Yamaguchi felt a bit like an afterthought. Suddenly, the urge to get Tsukishima to check out Yokohama street at least _once_ was overwhelming.

“I’m just concerned about this bond of yours.” Yamaguchi looked up, worried. “I don’t know what might happen or how long it could take, but the side effects could influence Tsukishima’s life terribly. It’s possible he could slowly begin to look like us.”

The question that he had asked Hinata once bubbled to the surface once more. “What _do_ we look like to mortals?”

“Hm? Oh, we look like ghosts.”

_‘Please tell me I’m drunk and that you’re not smoking.’_

“Like…smoking?”

Daichi nodded. “It’s like a fine mist around us. We look normal to each other, as if we were still mortals, but to mortals themselves we look completely different.”

_Ah_ , Yamaguchi thought. _So that’s why he was freaking the hell out when we first met. I probably looked like something out of a horror story._

“I don’t know how it’ll work or if it’ll even happen but regardless, his mortal friends and family will notice and it’s best that we deal with this before that happens.”

Yamaguchi nodded in agreement. “I talked to Asahi and Nishinoya and I asked them if they could make a sort of item for Tsukishima to wear that shrouds his mortality completely. I was thinking of taking him to Yokohama on Dragon night. Can I?”

The chief looked happy at the idea. “That sounds fine by me. I think he’d enjoy that, at least. I’ll check in on those two to see how they’re going about making it.”

Grateful, the smaller spirit bowed his head once more. “Thank you!”

“But Yamaguchi, I need you to understand something.” Daichi’s voice was commanding yet reassuring. “Tsukishima is something entirely different, not even I know what he is or what he will become. He’s not a spectre nor is he a spirit so whatever he will turn into is something we have to face with a cautious front.”

He understood what Daichi meant, although it saddened Yamaguchi to imagine that they’d be meeting Tsukishima with the same suspicion he was meeting them on. The point was to get him comfortable around them but the safety of Karasuno couldn’t be jeopardized simply because Yamaguchi wanted to be his friend.

Daichi opened his mouth once more to speak but changed his mind, settling on reaching out to ruffle Yamaguchi’s long locks. “You’ll stay strong, won’t you? No matter what happens to your friend?”

It echoed Suga’s firm statement, _‘You’re being very strong.’_ Together, those two were the core of Karasuno. Without them leading the center and without them _accepting_ Yamaguchi in the first place, he wouldn’t know where he’d be.

“Yes, Daichi!”

\----

Tsukishima couldn’t focus.

The screen was in front of his face with literally a single sentence written on the document and his head was swimming because he’d been staring at it for the past hour.

He couldn’t focus _so badly_ it was a pain to even think about writing.

His mind was too preoccupied with his _possible fate_ that it was an effort to even reach forward and move the mouse.

Waking up and getting ready for the day seemed so mundane, so natural, but just the knowledge that he might not even be completely _human_ was enough to make him nearly kick a wall.

He remembered waking up last night, almost as if someone had reached inside him and tased his heart. There wasn’t any sign of physical harm, however, yet his hand burned like he stuck it in molten lava. He was just barely able to stop himself from crying out and waking up his brother because _that_ was a situation he did not think he could handle at three in the morning.

It was like a tidal wave of emotions that crashed into Tsukishima, waking him up like he was gasping for breath. It wasn’t even that Yamaguchi was sending him a barrage of emotions, though. It was simply a question, a hesitant push, yet it made Tsukishima feel lightheaded at the sensation. Knowing that someone else was practically inside of him, putting emotions into his chest that weren’t his, it made him want to rip his heart out.

It was foreign, it was strange, it was completely unnatural. Unnatural like Yamaguchi and spirits and Karasuno.

Unnatural like himself.

It was an utter relief when Yamaguchi sensed his wariness and pulled back immediately, as if someone had released him from a choke hold. But the proof was still there and his palm still throbbed and Tsukishima knew that he was in some very deep shit.

For the past few days, that Chief’s words were echoing in his ear relentlessly, like a song on repeat. Each hour made the realization that he wasn’t properly human anymore heavier in his chest.

_“You’re different,” Daichi said flat out. “And rare. You’re a spectre that’s not going crazy with grief so to the eyes of many you’re a prized possession. I’m telling you now that there is no ‘maybe’ when it comes to other spectres or spirits coming after you. They will, there’s no doubt about it.”_

_Tsukishima wanted to rip his ears off. Each time some other spirit spoke to him, it was the same thing over and over again. He’ll be sought after. He’s in danger. He’s not supposed to exist. He’s supposed to depend on Karasuno to help him._

_But how the hell was he supposed to put his faith in these strangers when Tsukishima couldn’t even properly fathom what they_ were _? He had made a point to google up spirits in forests but of course, nothing concrete showed up. So who’s to say that he wasn’t actually tripping on the strongest acid in the market and that this was all a terrible hallucination?_

_“I hope you understand the situation.”_

_“As best as I can bring myself to at the moment.”_

_The chief’s lips quirked slightly at the corner. “I know it’s a large request, but I really do want you to trust in us.”_

_Tsukishima simply pressed his lips into a thinner line._

_“Like Ennoshita told you earlier, I’m glad you came to us than anyone else. We might not be as homely as other places in the spirit world, but we’re a group that will not let someone suffer any more than they have to.”_

_“Is that why you kill people? Because you think that will make them suffer less?”_

_The chief sighed, running his fingers through his short black hair. “I will not try and change your mind on the matter and you are completely free to hold your own opinions… But I will ask you to be careful of what you say to the other members of this center. Unlike you, they hold this job and its meaning close to their hearts.”_

_“How macabre. Death, held close to the heart.”_

_“Yamaguchi in particular – he has trouble with recruiting but is very committed to working hard at it. It would almost be like him demeaning your job simply because he doesn’t agree with it.”_

_The bespectacled man bit the inside of his cheek, glancing away momentarily. Daichi’s words were true. He supposed he could agree to disagree with the recruiters._

_“So will you let us help you?”_

_“I guess. I don’t exactly have any other choice.”_

After that, Daichi spoke as if Tsukishima was special. As if he were some sort of rare artifact that everyone in the spirit world wanted to get their hands on. He pressed that if he hadn’t run into Yamaguchi and saved him, who knows what the Edgesiders could have done. It was possible Tsukishima could’ve been lured to the Edge and jumped off. He was ‘special’ because of his fate. He was ‘special’ because of this brand new situation.

Tsukishima didn’t particularly feel special.

But he also didn’t regret saving Yamaguchi. Sure, the bond was extremely inconvenient and the fact that spirits were real was totally messing with his mind… But Yamaguchi had been a person who needed help and Tsukishima wasn’t going to ignore that fact.

The look of gratefulness that Yamaguchi had on after the initial horror of their bond creation was something that Tsukishima couldn’t forget even if he tried. The spirit’s face and body language was an open book, he was so, so, _so_ easy to read. He was happy – elated, more like – that Tsukishima had helped him even though he looked like he wanted to say he could protect himself. The spirit had even stuck to his side around Karasuno, as if they were already the best of buddies.

It was endearing, how Yamaguchi was all sweetness and politeness, but Tsukishima wrote off the feeling as pity because apparently he was instructed to go around killing suicidal mortals. How the spirit was able to stay so lighthearted despite his job was a mystery.

A small part of Tsukishima suddenly wondered what Yamaguchi might say to him the next time he came back when he immediately sat up straight, a small frown on his face.

He _shouldn’t_ be looking towards the next time he was to return. Daichi had clearly told him that there was no need for him to go ‘check in’ at Karasuno and really, there was no point for Tsukishima to go unless Daichi had a solution. It was also a sort of regulation for himself because the more time he spends at the center…wouldn’t that just mean he was slowly accepting the spirituality within him?

_No,_ he thought determinedly. _I can’t allow myself any more interaction with that world than necessary._

He looked at the page in front of him, empty save for one single line that didn’t even make sense. Aside from the articles he was writing for the magazine, he was actually almost done with another side project that he was excited to get edited and published soon. _I have a life here,_ he thought, _I have accomplishments waiting for me around the corner. Successes within my reach. Why would I want to throw it all away and turn into a spirit now?_

The next letters typed on the page were basically a keyboard smash when Tsukishima startled at a hand on his shoulder.

“Oi,” came a familiar voice and the writer had to take a deep breathe before turning to face his coworker.

“Kuroo?”

The messy-haired man raised an eyebrow at Tsukishima’s attempt at a casual response. “Tsukki? You look dead.”

Panic suddenly wracked Tsukishima’s chest. Did he look like a spirit? Did he look misty? Were the effects that fast?

“I-I, what?”

Kuroo turned to lean against the desk, crossing his arms and studying him closely. “Like, I’ve been watching you for the past ten minutes and all you’ve been doing is staring at your computer. Dead, like, a zombie or something. Everything alright?”

Concealing a breath of relief, Tsukishima turned away to grip the mouse tightly. He couldn’t let his problem affect his mortal life any more than it had to. He had to focus on his job and while he was lucky enough to work with friends who wouldn’t yell at him, he still had responsibilities.

Waving a hand dismissively, he nodded. “Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. There’s just a lot of things on my mind.”

Catlike eyes slid over to the computer screen. “I can tell. What’s going on? Is it Akiteru?” Tsukishima stilled at the name. “I mean, if he _really_ needs help finding a job…”

“No.” Tsukishima spoke firmly. “He’ll find his own job by himself. I don’t have the energy to worry about him.” It was kind of a lie but Kuroo didn’t need to know that. “He’s frustrating enough as is. I’m just lucky I don’t have to run into him often at home.”

Kuroo nodded slowly, eyes still watching Tsukishima like a cat watched a mouse. It was unnerving. “Alright. So…”

“Can you edit my book?” Tsukishima quickly interjected before his clever friend could dredge up any other unwanted information.

Immediately, the designer shifted and tilted his head. “Of course. When will it be done?” Although Akaashi was technically editor, he had enough on his plate trying to sort through the entire magazine and Tsukishima’s articles. In regards to Tsukishima’s own writings and books, Kuroo was his go-to. His friend had been looking over his work ever since their university days and thankfully, the other man was always willing to read and critique Tsukishima’s words.

The writer turned back towards the computer and pulled up his draft from the files. There were only a few more pages left to go. He could probably get it done by… “This weekend. I can email you the document.”

Kuroo nodded. “Sounds good. That’s just after the special cover’s trial is due. I’ll have time to look it over.”

Shooting his best friend a small smile, he nodded. “Right. Thanks-“

“Now stop bullshitting and tell me what’s actually going on.”

Startled at his bluntness, Tsukishima looked up at the other man who was staring at him so intensely that Tsukishima _wished_ he was the type of person who could easily speak his thoughts. He tried to think of what he could say, what excuse he could give this time, but the words didn’t come to him. The small staring contest they had that lasted for about a minute or two was broken when Tsukishima turned away.

It was silent for a few more seconds before the hand appeared on his shoulder again, squeezing. “Weeeellll then,” Kuroo said brightly. “I think I know what this calls for.”

Familiar dread started to curl into Tsukishima’s chest. “Ah, no-“

“Yes, yes, it’s quite necessary.”

“Kuroo-“

“BOKUTO!” The designer yelled and as if on que, the office door slammed open within a millisecond. The chief looked so eager to be called and through the doorway Tsukishima saw Akaashi looking a bit distressed with files he was probably showing Bokuto still clutched in his hands.

“YES, KUROO?”

The hand on his shoulder that was initially squeezing comfortingly was now clasping his back hard. “Let’s go out tonight! Tsukki here needs it!”

The air in the building suddenly shifted as it always did whenever Kuroo decided it was a night to drink. Bokuto’s face split into a wide grin and Tsukishima heard Akaashi sigh within the office. Kageyama poked his head out from behind his own computer with a look of apprehension.

“Sounds perfect!” Their chief manager crowed, pumping a hand in the air. “Whatever’s up your ass, Tsukishima, we promise to get it out!”

“That’s a terrible image.”

“But it’s true, Tsukki, we’ve gotta get your knickers untwisted.”

“What are you now, British?”

Kageyama meandered over awkwardly, always eager to join in on the fun whenever drinking was involved. “I’m free tonight,” the intern coughed and Tsukishima barely chanced him a glance. ‘Always busy’ Kageyama was _never_ busy on work drink nights. But Kuroo slapped his protégé on the shoulder and grinned.

“That’s the spirit, Tobio!”

\----

‘Drinking with the guys’ is what Kuroo called it.

‘Date night with Akaashi (with the coworkers)’ is what Bokuto called it. Akaashi never bothered to supply his own label.

‘Coworkers’ night out’ was Kageyama’s term and it was as uncreative as he was as a person.

Tsukishima didn’t particularly care what their weekly drinking nights were called but if anyone were to ask, he would probably call it ‘The Evening Where Bokuto Falls Asleep, Kuroo Talks, Kageyama Gets Weirdly Open and Akaashi Drives.’

To most people, they probably looked like a group of guys just enjoying the evening together but it was still weird to think that Tsukishima was watching his boss hardcore chug a few glasses of beer and knock out within the same hour.

By the time they had gotten to their usual bar, his friends’ happy aura had infected Tsukishima enough that he didn’t feel the looming, imminent terror of his prospective fate. Drinks were shared and laughter was heard and he couldn’t help but smile in amusement when Kuroo dragged Kageyama into an affectionate hug, the intern looking absolutely scandalized.

“So, Tsukishimaaaa~” Kuroo’s voice was wavering just like his upright position. Bokuto was successfully passed out and snoring in his chair and Tsukishima watched as Akaashi covered his open mouth with a napkin. They weren’t lightweights so having Kuroo already be tipsy meant that they’ve exhausted enough of the bar’s liquor stock.

“Kuroo.”

“How’s life?” They both ignored Kageyama’s snort.

“Fine.”

“How’s work?”

“You know how I am at work.”

“Love life?” Another snort from Kageyama.

“Nonexistent.”

“Well ain’t that a shame.” The designer’s lips dropped into an exaggerated frown and Tsukishima had the urge to throw a dumpling at him.

“It’s not like you could say any different.”

Akaashi smiled at that, reaching over to poke into a piece of meat and pop it into his mouth. “You should lay off of Tsukishima, Kuroo. You’ll get your ass handed back to you pretty quickly.”

The arm around Kageyama slid off as Kuroo threw his hands into the air and wailed. “I knnnnooowww, Keiji! Tsukki is way too smart for me! I don’t even know how he does that…” Kuroo started making odd curly shapes in the air with his fingers. “That…word stuff…that he does.”

Unable to help themselves, Akaashi laughed while Kageyama and Tsukishima grinned in amusement.

“What word stuff, Kuroo?” It was in the ‘Tsukishima Kei’ job description that he had to be a little shit. “What exactly do I do?”

“Oh, you know,” the other man said, slapping his hand on the table in emphasis. “How you just…twist words and shit…make me say the wrong thing and I look dumb.”

“You always look dumb, Kuroo,” Akaashi helpfully supplied.

Kageyama barked out a laugh and Bokuto jerked in his sleep. They all stared at him for a few seconds until he snorted once more and curled over in his chair.

Slumping over on the table, Kuroo tapped on Kageyama’s shoulder. The intern looked down at him. “Be careful in the future, Tobio. Akaashi is actually a very mean person and you should never, ever like him.”

The mentioned man simply smiled politely at their youngest member who was looking between his mentor and his other boss, conflict evident in his face.

“I’ll make Bokuto give you a raise.”

“Sorry, Kuroo-san.”

“Akaaashhiiii!”

Tsukishima snorted into his glass. “Using your boyfriend as a bribe isn’t very ethical.”

“And when was I ever ethical, Tsukishima?”

It was no surprise that drinking nights were the nights that Akaashi was open with his words and easily sliced into everyone with sass that could put the best to shame. He was designated driver, restricted from the alcohol, but because all his coworkers were tipsy (or passed out) and had a memory retention the next morning of 40%, he went ‘wild.’ In his own Akaashi way, of course.

They finished off the rest of the food slowly, Kuroo mumbling random facts about his life while Kageyama listened. It amused Tsukishima to no end watching the intern _try_ and be a good protégé by paying attention even when Kuroo was listing off the people he had dated in college. Bokuto was slumped so far in his chair that his chin touched his chest and Akaashi looked like he couldn’t care in the slightest. Sometimes Tsukishima wondered how their home life was.

Finishing the rest of his drink, he set the glass on the table and hid his mouth behind his hand as he let out a quiet burp. The bar was still as lively as ever yet their table felt quiet, comfortable.

As much as he let on, Tsukishima didn’t hate these gettogethers. They reminded him of their days back in school when the four of them would go out in the evenings and, as Kuroo liked to say, ‘fuck shit up.’ Now, Kageyama had joined them but the intern wasn’t anything more than someone to appreciate Kuroo’s antics so he wasn’t a terrible addition.

While Kuroo babbled away, Tsukishima turned towards the editor who was idly scrolling through his phone.

“Akaashi, I have a question.”

Almond eyes shifted towards him and Tsukishima blinked back. “Yes?”

“If someone were to kill another person before they committed suicide, would that be considered saving the suicidal person’s soul?”

He wasn’t sure why the question was falling from his lips at a time like this. He wasn’t even _thinking_ about his spirit problem or Yamaguchi until just now. Blaming it on the alcohol, he tried to keep Akaashi’s strong gaze even though the calm brown irises seemed to be drilling holes into Tsukishima’s body.

A whine from across the table caused him to look away. “Tsukishima, that is _such_ a morbid question,” Kuroo said, pointing a finger at him. Kageyama even looked a bit weirded out, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

“Why do you want to know? Is this for another one of your stories?”

He turned his head back to Akaashi, nodding. “Ah- Yeah. Yeah, I was just trying to sort out one of my character’s…moral dilemma.”

“I see.” Akaashi sat up, crossing his arms and humming in thought. “Well, that’s more of a philosophical debate, if anything.”

Suddenly, Tsukishima’s tipsy mind started trying its best to keep up with the other man’s insightful words.

“I guess it all depends on how you see it. Killing one’s self is seen as the ultimate dishonor on your soul because it’s your life that you’re willingly taking away. However, murder is also seen as another terrible sin because it’s taking the life of another. But if the suicidal person is truly ready for death and the ‘murderer’ takes their life for them, then you could see it as them saving the suicidal person from the ultimate sin.”

It was silent at the table save for Bokuto’s snores and only when Kuroo let out a long exhale did the stasis break. “Jesus, Keiji. Why didn’t you become a priest or something?”

Akaashi shot Kuroo a confused look. “Because I don’t think a priest would go around telling suicidal people that the way to save themselves is to find someone else to kill them.” Kageyama snickered in amusement. “Did that help, Tsukishima?”

Nodding once, Tsukishima tried to register every single one of those words in his mind. He should’ve made Akaashi write it down.

“That clears it up. Thank you.”

“I hope you don’t plan on finding someone to kill you anytime soon.”

He shot the editor a small smile. “It’s only for the story.” Yet the other man’s eyes made him break contact first. “I was just wondering.”

“Pfft, now you’ve made me sad,” Kuroo pouted, rubbing his finger against the rim of his glass. “Tsukishima, you jerk, now I’m thinking about priests getting killed. Priests getting killed but going to heaven.”

It was Kageyama who finally reached over and pulled the glass of beer away from Kuroo’s grasp. “Your imagination is a wild place, Kuroo-san,” the intern grunted.

\----

When Tsukishima walked into the apartment late that night, the last thing he was expecting at this hour was to see the living room light still on and to hear the TV. He stopped in surprise in the kitchen and his footsteps must have alerted his brother.

Akiteru swung around the doorway and gave Tsukishima a smile. He smiled like there was nothing wrong between them and suddenly Tsukishima felt angry. He shoved his feet deeper into his slippers as he walked over to the fridge, not hungry, but desperate for a distraction.

“Welcome home, Tsukishima! I have news for you!”

_He sounds so cheerful. He sounds so happy. That’s unfair. Does he not feel how angry I am at him? Can’t he read the situation?_

“I’m tired,” he said shortly, pouring himself a glass of milk. This was seriously going to fuck with the alcohol in his stomach but whatever. “It can wait.”

From the corner of his eye, he could see Akiteru shuffling awkwardly by the doorway. _He’s supposed to be the older brother yet he’s trying to talk to me like I’m some sort of upperclassman._

“Um, well, I just wanted to let you know that I got a job today.”

Tsukishima wasn’t sure what to feel at that. He wanted to feel relieved that now his brother had something to support himself with but with an employment record like his, he wasn’t sure if Akiteru could even hold onto this one.

Briefly he wondered if he should ask what kind of job it was and where but he began steeling himself up once more. Akiteru got a job. Good for him. It didn’t affect Tsukishima in any way other than that he’d be out of his hair soon and that was a definite plus.

He forced himself to finish the cup of milk and he washed it silently, all the while feeling Akiteru’s gaze on his back. Fully aware that he was acting childish and petty, Tsukishima didn’t say a single thing until he was brushing past his brother to get to his room.

“Kei-“

“Good for you. It’s about time,” he said, shutting the door to his room.

There was no sound from the other side of the doorway and Tsukishima clenched his fist in frustration. If only he were alone in the apartment he would pound against the door. He felt guilt rip at his chest, almost dragging him to the ground. His brother didn’t deserve this coldness from him, at least not now after the situation had simmered down. Yet Tsukishima couldn’t help the feelings of disappointment that bubbled into his chest whenever he looked at his brother.

He should be elated that Akiteru found a job. He should’ve been kind and brought him out to celebrate the next day because it must have been hard to snag something after getting fired from his previous job. But he _couldn’t_.

Tsukishima _couldn’t_ bring himself to extend the olive branch of peace and he was furious with himself.

Their relationship had been a perfect piece of paper, now having been ripped to shreds. But while Akiteru was frantically trying to tape it back together, all Tsukishima was doing was pulling out the scissors.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that should be it for setting the scene :) More things will happen, the ball will start rolling, and your support is forever and truly appreciated! 
> 
> **Comments** continue to make this story bloom and **kudos** help this story get noticed if you enjoyed it! Thank you~~


	5. Your Frustration Makes Me Frustrated

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Happy New Year!!!**  
>  Here's the fifth chapter! I wrote this during a rocky couple of days in my life so I hope it's still okay. I'd really like to thank those reading it, it makes me happy knowing that you're there, sharing this adventure with me. :) This totally sounds like something an author would say near the end but I'm willing to say it again and again. Thank you!
> 
> I believe two (or one) more songs are introduced in this chapter.

 

Regardless what time of day it was, because to spirits there was no longer any semblance of time, Yokohama Street was always lively. The lights blazed eternally, the lanterns bobbed in the breeze joyfully. Smells and sounds wafted around the street, filling every side street and alleyway with the exuberant presence of the spirits.

While some spirits died in ancient eras and some died in recent years such as 2014, everyone had consciously agreed to go about life in as traditional a way as they could. That and electricity didn’t exactly exist in the spiritual world (much to the disappointment of the millennial spirits). It was a nice in-between for every spirit of every age.

When Yamaguchi died, it was at the turn of technology in Japan. So he didn’t really miss much when he arrived in Yokohama, unlike some spirits that wailed because they no longer had access to the internet or their phones. It was amusing, to say the least, watching the new spirits freak out in the face of other spirits whose only source of entertainment back in their time was a stick or cloth ball.

He turned his head away from a pair of young spirits fretting over their lack of ‘daily fluff fics’ to look at Hinata who was busy babbling about nothing and everything. Yachi was sitting next to him, listening to him talk and all three of them were eating away at pork buns.

They were sitting in a table in the corner of Yamaguchi’s favourite little restaurant, Sakanoshita, owned by Ukai who was a spirit that was friends with Daichi. Said man was answering orders and delivering food busily and whenever he passed their table, he shot the group a grin.

“And I was like, _whoosh_! And the mortal didn’t even notice me! And then the hammer went _kablam_ straight onto his back! And he was just gone!” Hinata spoke with his hands and arms at the same speed his mouth did. Yachi ducked once to avoid a stray flail.

As the three youngest (in a sense) spirits at the center, he, Yachi and Hinata always made it a point to go out whenever they could. They spoke about their jobs and while they all knew that Yamaguchi wasn’t as amazing as recruiters as they were, the freckled spirit still loved to hear Hinata and Yachi’s stories.

Yachi laughed lightly, reaching for the last pork bun before Hinata could get his hands on it. “It still feels like it would be painful. Imagine a hammer coming straight down on your back.”

Yamaguchi shuddered at the thought. “And with your strength, Hinata.”

The orange haired ball of energy cackled loudly. “Oh come on, it’s not like I don’t have a worse weapon. I’ll have to tell Asahi that the trial for the hammer went well.”

What he said was true. While Hinata might have looked approachable and was quite enjoyable to be around, he was absolutely monstrous as a recruiter. With the speed of lightning and the strength rivalling Daichi himself, the tiny man-child had enough power to bring the forest down on his own. Because along with his strength and agility was the fact that he was highly skilled with his own reaping weapons, a pair of _kama_. The two axes clutched in Hinata’s hands made a very menacing sight.

“How about you, Yachi? How’s working with Kiyoko?” Yamaguchi asked.

“Really well,” she said with a smile. “She said just a few more shifts and I should be able to work by myself.”

The two other boys smiled proudly for her. As if on cue, Ukai swooped by their table, dropping a plate of steaming food in front of them. “Taste this for me?” He asked them, knowing that the only thing he’d get back in reply were praises for his food.

Immediately, Hinata dived in with a fork. Though they had been steadily eating through a few dishes, the smaller spirit had a black hole for a stomach. “Fantastic, Ukai-san!” He crowed. “You always make the best things.”

Ukai cackled, preening at the high praise from the small recruiter. “Good. You guys are my test subjects before I start actually selling these dishes.”

Yamaguchi chuckled. “Well, they always come out really tasty so you don’t have much to worry about.”

The restaurant owner sent Yamaguchi a grateful smile and clapped his back before turning to head back. But before he could leave, Yamaguchi called out to him. “Ah, Ukai-san. Could I order a drink?”

“Your regular?” The cook asked, much to the groan from Hinata across the table. Yamaguchi ignored him, nodding with a smile.

“Thank you!” He turned back to his friends, Yachi smiling in bemusement at Hinata’s scrunched up expression. “Hey. Roasted Japanese green milk tea is a perfectly normal drink, thank you.”

The short recruiter pursed his lips and pointed his fork at Yamaguchi. “But it tastes like _wood_. It tastes like liquid, burned _wood_. It’s like you’re putting wood in your mouth and drinking it, Yamaguchi. What the heck.”

“I think we get the point, Hinata,” Yachi laughed, sparkling eyes drifting between her two closest friends. “Yamaguchi likes what he likes… though I agree that it doesn’t taste that good.”

Pouting, the freckled spirit said thank you when another waiter brought the drink over, taking a long sip from the cup. _It’s the best, no matter what they say._ “It doesn’t taste like wood,” he protested. “It tastes like green milk tea.”

“That’s burned.”

“It doesn’t taste burned!

“Then why’s it called roasted?”

Stumped, he didn’t have an answer immediately. So what if one day he just ordered it on a whim, only to realize that he liked the drink that many other people disliked? Hinata was just butthurt he didn’t have a ‘regular’ at the restaurant.

The conversation easily slid into one about other Yokohama events, such as the upcoming Dragon night. The energy of the festival was already present throughout the entire street, preparations and planning buzzing on every spirit’s lips. While other spiritual spots off the trolley’s tracks were excited for the festival, the actual street was ecstatic. This was a time that spirits, new and old, found their way to the street and to their shops and restaurants. Spirits from old eras brought forth traditions forgotten over time and spirits recently dead brought a frenetic energy that touched every spiritual heart.

There was no reason for any of the festivals but to have fun, enjoy the night and to mingle, yet every spirit made it a point to go if they could. The street became packed and music filled the air and never did any spirit feel more alive than the night of a festival.

“Didn’t you say you were going to bring Tsukishima to Dragon Night, Yamaguchi? That's tonight, you know.” Hinata asked as he speared another piece of steaming meat onto his fork. He was speaking with his mouth full and once again, Yamaguchi wondered just how on earth he was classified as an ‘adult’ spirit. “Didja tell him? How’s he going to do it?”

Shaking his head, Yamaguchi sipped his drink thoughtfully. “No, not yet. I’m hoping he comes back before the actual festival because I don’t have any other way to tell him.”

“What if he doesn’t?” Yachi asked, looking a bit concerned. She had begun to work on Yamaguchi and Tsukishima’s bracelets and Nishinoya told him earlier that they were getting somewhere with the reaping fluid. The freckled spirit didn’t want their hard work to go to waste.

“Well, then just bring him to the Fire and Forest Carnival,” Hinata said with a shrug, wiping his mouth. “It’s not like Dragon Night’s the only one. Or even Death Disco!”

“No.” The two other spirits spoke in unison.

It wasn’t that the Death Disco wasn’t fun – it was pretty damn enjoyable – but it was a big ‘Happy Death Day’ celebration to everyone. The millennial spirits had created the tradition just a few years ago after practically shoving their 21st century existence in the faces of the older spirits.

One glance from Yachi confirmed that both of them didn’t want to bring a mortal with an existential crisis to a death day party.

“He’ll come. And yeah, if he doesn’t, we’ll just bring him to Fire and Forest.” Yamaguchi spoke firmly, nodding his head. _And I don’t even have to bring him to Yokohama on a festival day. I just want him to come back._

A small commotion from the front of the restaurant made them look over. Three new people had stepped into the building and unlike the kimonos that everyone wore, they were wearing the traditional working clothes. The only ones who wore that uniform were…

“What are the Edgesiders doing here?” Hinata said grumpily as he slumped his cheek into his open palm, glaring at the three newcomers who were loudly proclaiming their order to an irritated looking Ukai. The Edgesiders were welcome anywhere, technically, as they were spirits too. But in regards to Yokohama, they went in and out for what they needed, never really delving much into the rest of the spiritual world. “If they want to start a fight I will-“

He silenced with a pout when Yachi laid a hand on his arm. “I don’t think they want to fight, Hinata,” she said weakly. “They just want to eat.” She looked over at Yamaguchi for confirmation but her eyes widened when she saw his expression. “Yamaguchi?”

The moment he had seen the Edgesiders, those _horribly familiar_ Edgesiders, Yamaguchi had whipped back around and dropped his head low to the table in hope that he hadn’t been noticed.

_What the heck! What are they doing here?! I’m going to get beaten up right in front of Hinata and Yachi, oh my god._

“Yamaguchi, what’s wrong?” Yachi asked in concern, reaching over the table to grip his wrist. When Yamaguchi lifted his arm to hide his face, his sleeve dropped to reveal his bond mark. Hinata blinked owlishly but didn’t ask.

“That’s them,” he said weakly, peeking up through his fingers to see realization dawn on both of his friend’s faces. “Those are the Edgesiders that-“

“Would you lookie here!” A rough voice cut through the air, effectively silencing Yamaguchi as he jerked up straight, whipping his eyes around to see the leader of the Edgesider group, a large spirit named Ichiro, leering at him as they walked over. Takao was behind him, a look of disdain on his face and the third spirit – one Yamaguchi never bothered to figure out – was trailing behind them.

The only reason why there was hesitance in trying to quiet down Ichiro’s volume in the restaurant was because he was the son of the Edgesider’s chief. _Literal_ son. They had died together and were both brought to Yokohama for reasons no one knew why. They ruled The Edge tyrannically and while they didn’t spend much time with the other spirits, no one wanted to involve themselves with ‘the voices in one’s head.’

“It’s little Yamaguchi, the spectre-maker.”

If there was one way to grab everyone’s attention, that was it.

Yamaguchi felt the weight of a dozen stares on him and even the crackle of Hinata’s annoyance and Yachi’s worry wasn’t enough to make him feel less shitty. Ukai had blinked over before resuming his work – no doubt trying to maintain a semblance of calm within his restaurant.

 _Everyone’s staring,_ Yamaguchi thought, feeling his fists begin to tremble on the table. _Everyone’s staring and everyone will know. Everyone will know that I’m the ‘spectre-maker.’_

Ichiro grinned at Yamaguchi’s lack of response and he bent down to get into his face. Forcing all the will within him, the freckled spirit refused to back away. It was the least he could do in the face of terror. “Ya know, Yamaguchi, you did some serious shit wrong.” The conversation in the restaurant had dulled to a soft murmur. Everyone was listening. “I told my father and he thinks you’re going to be the one to let this place go to hell.”

“Alright,” a firm voice said and Yamaguchi looked over to see Hinata standing up, one hand sliding into his kimono. “Let’s not make a scene. Yamaguchi didn’t make a spectre.”

“Shut up,” Takao said snidely from his place near Ichiro’s side. The third Edgesider snickered. “You’re not part of this.”

Yamaguchi could see the glint of a blade and knew that Hinata was going to pull out his weapon. _Don’t do it_ , he thought desperately. _Don’t start a fight here. Not now. Not with them._ The Edgesiders, everyone knew, were mostly full of bravado. But their chief definitely wasn’t. _Daichi will kill us if we get The Edge waging war on Karasuno._

But before he could try and relay that message with his eyes, a strong hand gripped the front of his kimono and dragged him forward, manhandling him to stand. “Did you kill him? The mortal? So is he dead?”

The surprise and fear in Yamaguchi’s eyes was enough for Ichiro to guess the answer. “Maaaan,” he said, shaking his head as he shoved Yamaguchi away. “I can’t believe it. You’re all ‘save this and save that’ but you couldn’t even save _him_.”

Ichiro leaned in to jab a finger into Yamaguchi’s chest painfully. The freckled spirit bit the inside of his cheek, fighting against words that bubbled in his chest. Despite the treatment, he could _not_ say anything to Ichiro. He wasn’t like Hinata who could fight his way out of a battle honourably. One wrong word from him and it was possible that Ichiro would go straight to his father, demanding that Yamaguchi be ‘taken care of.’

“If you get a shit ton of spectres on our asses, I hope you know that it’s going to be all your damn fault, Yamaguchi.”

“That’s enough.” Hinata was next to Ichiro, grabbing his arm and yanking him back. The Edgesider looked down at the smaller spirit and he almost laughed if it wasn’t for the head of Hinata’s _kama_ pressing into his stomach.

Ichiro’s eyes widened at the blade before they narrowed into slits. “I don’t know if you’re really brave, or really stupid.”

“I pride myself in being really brave,” Hinata answered without wavering. “You can be the really stupid one.”

Yamaguchi’s eyes widened as the Edgesider nearly punched Hinata but there was a flash of orange hair and Hinata was already behind him, nudging his foot against the back of Ichiro’s knee. As the man buckled and stumbled down, swearing, Hinata hastily beckoned at the other two spirits at the table. “Come on, we’re done here.”

Yachi and he frantically rushed out of their seats, beelining it for the door. Ichiro didn’t pursue them, instead being held back by Takao who was sending them heated glares. Yamaguchi turned his head quickly away.

“Yamaguchi,” he heard Ukai call out and he barely stopped before Hinata’s hand was on his arm, pulling him forward.

“Sorry, Ukai-san!” Hinata said with a genuine apologetic expression on his face. “We shouldn’t stick around much. Just ask Daichi later if you want to know.”

Stunned by how abrupt their leave was, Ukai was barely able to fit in a small goodbye wave before Yamaguchi, Hinata and Yachi were already out the door and hastening to the nearest trolley station.

They didn’t speak a single word to each other even as they clambered onto the platform along with other spirits. The news even reached _here_. Word amongst spirits spread alarmingly fast and even though they were down the street and waiting for the trolley, there was a small radius around Yamaguchi as other spirits gave him berth. Yachi glanced at him in concern while Hinata stood in front of them both as a sort of guard. His irritated aura radiated in waves and Yamaguchi wondered what on earth he had just done.

 _This is a mess,_ he thought, distraught. _No one outside of Karasuno was supposed to know. Daichi’s going to kill me._

The comforting hand on his thigh from Yachi and the press of Hinata’s arm against his own on the trolley was hardly enough to abate the distress within him.

\-----

When Yamaguchi stepped into Karasuno Recruitment Center after the miserable trolley ride home, the last thing he expected to see was Tsukishima Kei standing in the middle of their living room.

The mortal was wearing a peeved expression and was talking to Daichi. Suga and Ennoshita were listening to whatever he was saying.

“W-What?! Tsukki?! What are you doing here?” _And how did I not feel that? Was I too distracted?_

His high voice alerted the other spirits and they all turned looking unsurprised at his exclamation. Even Tsukishima looked stoic as usual.

“You were terrified as all hell and it made me feel like I iron-gripped a fucking torch.”

Yamaguchi felt completely lost at the other’s words but he noticed that Tsukishima was holding his other wrist, palm open. _The bond_ , was the sinking realization. _The bond hurt him_.

“Sorry, Tsukki, I-“

“Let’s all shift this to my office,” Daichi announced, most likely noticing the paleness of Yamaguchi’s face. “Yamaguchi,” he said, tilting his head towards the hallway. Obediently, he turned to walk.

He noticed Yachi and Hinata’s surprised expressions, though they stayed quiet as the five spirits walked down the hallway. Kiyoko meandered over to speak to Yachi quietly. Tanaka and Saeko’s heads were popping out of the hallway that led to the kitchen and he saw the older Tanaka sibling’s eyes following Tsukishima closely in curiosity. Asahi and Nishinoya were standing off by the wall, Nishinoya crossing his arms with a single brow quirked at Tsukishima as he walked by. Kinoshita and Narita, the two other recordkeepers under Ennoshita’s employ, were next to them watching in fascination.

 _The entirety of Karasuno and the entire spiritual world. Everyone now knows my name but in the_ worst _way possible. Good going, Tadashi._

They piled into Daichi’s office which was much bigger than Ennoshita’s and Daichi dropped into his cushion. Suga stood off to the side behind him and Ennoshita slowly sunk into a sitting position as well. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi followed in suit.

“So, we’ll just be clarifying a few things more about your bond,” Daichi said, gesturing towards Ennoshita. The latter spirit pulled out a few papers from his sleeves and handed them to the chief. “Though I’m sure you’re already discovering its qualities.”

Yamaguchi nodded though Tsukishima did nothing more than thin his lips. They _did_ know more about their bond. Their small encounter with its power not too long ago was enough proof of that. Yamaguchi hadn’t tried to press his emotions through ever since that last time and Tsukishima’s presence had been silent. How his fear today was able to leak through, he didn’t know. But he swore it wasn’t on purpose.

He spared a small glance out of the corner of his eye to the mortal who was as straight faced as possible. _I can never figure out what he’s thinking. Is he panicking? Was he scared when he felt those emotions? Did it really hurt? Tsukki, I’m so sorry._

“Ennoshita had been digging around for some information and turns out there are records of a mortal touching a spirit once in history.”

Joy jumped within Yamaguchi’s chest and he looked over to see Tsukishima’s eyes widen in anticipation. They’d finally find a way to solve this issue! Yamaguchi would be able to read about what had happened and they could both figure out how to deal with it.

“Unfortunately, there really isn’t much about it except that it had happened.” Daichi’s brow furrowed in frustration. “But the bond was explained a little. You two have what’s called a Touch Bond.”

_‘How original.’_

Yamaguchi jerked in his seat so hard that Ennoshita and Suga looked at him in concern. Daichi was too busy peering at the papers and Tsukishima barely spared him a glance. _What the hell was that?_ His pulse had jacked up considerably. It wasn’t his thought and he most definitely did not feel that amount of sass in regards to Daichi’s words.

He turned his head to stare openly at Tsukishima and his eyes widened when he saw the vein pulsing by the mortal’s temple. Yamaguchi blinked once and his eyes slowly traveled down to the fist Tsukishima was clenching tightly.

Like a storm, frustration slammed into his chest. It felt exactly like the first time Yamaguchi reached out but now there was no more wariness. Wave after wave of emotion flooded through his body and suddenly, he realized that Tsukishima was feeding him his feelings without noticing the same way Yamaguchi must have when he was terrified in Yokohama.

He could feel it all.

Tsukishima’s frustration at the situation. His irritation at Daichi’s words when the chief said that there was barely any information about their problem. His anger at himself.

Yamaguchi felt like he was drowning.

He wanted to reach out physically and grip Tsukishima’s hand, right where the bond was, and squeeze so tight his circulation would stutter. He wanted to press his face against Tsukishima’s arm and scream ‘I’m sorry.’

Instead, all he could do was press the connection close as best as he could, ignoring the way the torrent of emotion battered against his will. Tsukishima had his reasons for not wanting to use the bond and even if he wasn’t realizing it, Yamaguchi wanted to respect his decisions. That Tsukishima came all the way here just because he felt Yamaguchi’s emotions was proof that he didn’t want to use it. He barely let out a gasp of relief when he shut the flow of feelings down completely.

“-mortality latched onto Yamaguchi. You have a part of his spirituality latched on you. And that’s how it works. It’s an ability that can be honed, apparently.”

Daichi returned his gaze to them and looked faintly surprised. Yamaguchi didn’t have to guess why. He felt like he was sweating, hot and tired after the amount of mental exertion required just to push Tsukishima’s feelings away despite wanting to drink it all up. Tsukishima probably didn’t look any better, as frustrated as he was.

The chief seemed to soften, dropped the papers on his desk and rubbing his neck. “I’m sorry,” he said genuinely. “It’s probably not what you two wanted to hear, but it’s information nonetheless. It can help you sort out your touch bond while we’re still looking for solutions.”

It was silent for a bit before Tsukishima broke the silence with a small clear of his throat. “So,” he started, and all eyes swung to him. “Why were you scared?”

Yamaguchi started when he realized that he was being addressed without actually being looked at. Suddenly the three older spirits turned their gazes on him as well.

Right. He had news.

And it wasn’t good news either.

“Um,” he started off hesitantly, trying not to look away from Daichi’s patient gaze. “Well… There’s a possibility that the entire spiritual population of Japan knows about Tsukki now…”

While Daichi looked absolutely stunned, Ennoshita leaned forward with shock on his face. “What? How?”

Yamaguchi could even feel Tsukishima’s hard stare at the top of his head and he felt like digging a hole right where he was and dying (for a second time) inside of it. “I’m sorry,” he said, wringing his hands. “Hinata, Yachi and I were at Sakanoshita and the Edgesiders that were there when I met Tsukki came in.”

It suddenly felt like something was _slamming_ against their bond. Yamaguchi strengthened his will because if he felt Tsukishima’s wild emotions, he doubted he could talk properly.

“They started talking to me and asking me questions about him and they kept calling him a spectre. Everyone in the restaurant heard, no doubt. People were whispering about it even when we got to the station.”

Suga had come forward to kneel down next to Daichi. “Did anything happen? Are you okay?” There was maternal concern in his eyes.

Yamaguchi nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. They were kind of rough with me but Hinata was able to ward them off. Yachi’s fine too.”

Now it felt like the bond was at danger of cracking with the sheer force of Tsukishima’s emotions. Yamaguchi felt like his throat would close up and he jerked his head sharply towards the mortal. “Would you _stop it?_ ”

The bite in his tone and the irked look in his eye was enough to cause the mortal to blink in confusion. Even Daichi let out a quiet ‘uh-‘

“What are you talking about,” Tsukishima countered, frowning. “I wasn’t even doing anything.”

Yamaguchi’s hands tightened into fists. “I can _feel_ you.” The mortal’s expression went slack. “Your emotions are like a god damn tsunami and there’s only so much I can hold you off because it’s _ridiculous_.” He raised an accusatory finger at Tsukishima, ignoring the fact that they had an audience. It was annoying and Tsukishima was annoying and Yamaguchi was just downright pissed. “You’re the one who doesn’t want to use this bond and you’re so angry that we have it yet you can’t even notice when your emotions start going out of control!”

“Excuse me? You’re also-“

“It’s different!” Yamaguchi lashed out. “I didn’t know. But you don’t feel anything from me now, do you?” Tsukishima’s silence was an affirmative. “Exactly. But _you_ are battering against the wall I put up with what seems like literally everything you have. So pay attention or calm down because it’s exhausting me the fuck out trying to block you off. Your frustration is making me _very_ frustrated.”

The harsh words spilling forth from Yamaguchi left the office in stunned silence. His end of the bond started to feel less of a tension, Tsukishima’s emotions starting to ebb away until they disappeared. He exhaled deeply and turned away, dropping his head low. “I’m sorry, Daichi.”

The chief looked thoroughly shaken and he lifted a hand. “No, it’s alright. Are you two okay?”

He nodded, his head still hung low, and he wondered if Tsukishima nodded as well.

Suga spoke up from his side. “As Daichi said, it’s an ability that can be honed. It will be tough for you both to handle, as there’s proof right before your eyes. But if you want to find a way to live with it or control it, you will need to work together.”

Yamaguchi raised his head though his eyes stayed downcast. “Yes,” he said quietly and he heard Tsukishima’s quiet grunt.

“So if you agree to this sort of arrangement, where you don’t want to use the bond, you have to be able to be aware of your own emotions. No more yelling at each other, alright? Properly communicate.”

_How can I communicate when Tsukki is the least communicable person to ever walk this planet?_

“Yes, Suga.”

Daichi nodded. “Suga’s right. That will be something you two have to work on by yourselves. But in the meantime, we have a bigger problem on our hands. Tsukishima, there is no doubt now that everyone knows about you.”

“Tch.”

“We have a way to ensure your safety.”

“I’m not that fucking weak,” Tsukishima said and it sounded as if the two men have had the same conversation multiple times before.

“But to spectres you are,” Ennoshita chimed in.

Tsukishima sent an irritated look at the other spirit and was met with one of total seriousness. “So? What am I supposed to do? You haven’t told me anything other than sit around get protected.”

“You’re going to learn how to fight,” Suga said with a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Yamaguchi suddenly felt a sense of sympathy towards the mortal.

“I took martial arts when I was a kid.”

“You’re going to learn how to fight _spectres_ , Tsukki,” Yamaguchi supplied, rolling his eyes.

“Oh.”

Suga smiled brightly, giving the mortal a thumbs up. “But the martial arts will come in handy. So if it’s alright with you, we could go over to the weaponry and see what you could use for the time being before your-“

“I can’t,” Tsukishima said, shaking his head adamantly. “I have work. I’m technically already late.”

It was only then did Yamaguchi notice the clothes Tsukishima was wearing. Unlike the first time they met where he was dressed in a plain sweater and pants, the mortal was wearing a pressed shirt and slacks. He looked professional.

Without thinking, he asked, “Do you _have_ to go?”

Tsukishima rolled his eyes at the question and shot him a look. “Yes. It’s work. I need to pay rent and buy food to eat.”

“Oh, right.” It escaped Yamaguchi’s mind just how hard mortals had to work to survive. In the spiritual world, plants that were planted grew without fail. There was an abundance of everything. Food was limitless and you could eat however much you wanted without having a fear of getting a stomach ache. ‘Rent’ didn’t exist seeing as one could settle anywhere and that was that. “Well, just come back tonight after work.”

He ignored the amused look on Suga’s face at how determined he was in getting Tsukishima to come back. _So what? He finally came back once. Might as well make sure it happens again._

The look he received from the mortal made him scrunch his nose. “Do you spirits not sleep?” came the drawl. “Because seriously, I’m not going to be wasting my evening time and your evening time just so that-“

“No. We don’t.”

“O-Oh.”

It was quiet between the two of them, Yamaguchi looking at Tsukishima with an expression of anticipation. The mortal in return looked quite conflicted.

“…Fine.”

“Fine what?” No one could say that Yamaguchi Tadashi _wasn’t_ a little shit sometimes.

Tsukishima looked away with a quiet ‘tch.’ “Fine, I’ll come back after work. But I’m not staying for long. _I_ need to sleep too.”

Yamaguchi nodded, holding back a smile on his face. Tsukishima didn’t seem like the person to go back on his word so… He’d see him again. It made him feel excited.

They all began to stand when Daichi cleared his throat. “I know that you need to leave, however, would you care to stay for just a few more minutes? Behind this door are a few people who’ve been waiting quite a long time to meet you.”

Tsukishima looked surprised at the mention of people wanting to meet him but he simply nodded, casting a wary look at the door.

“Good. You already know Ennoshita and this is Suga who’s our swords master.” The mentioned spirit bowed his head slightly. Daichi strode towards the door and slid it open while stepping to the side. Three figures tumbled out and Daichi smoothly kept on speaking. “You know Tanaka and Nishinoya. This is Tanaka’s sister, Saeko.”

The blond recruiter jumped to her feet and launched forward, slapping Tsukishima’s arm. “Ohoo! You’re right Ryu, you _can_ touch him!” Her loud voice and extravagant personality seemed to be grating Tsukishima the entirely wrong way. Yamaguchi couldn’t help but snicker quietly behind him. “Nice to meet you, Tsukishima!”

“S-Same.”

Asahi followed Nishinoya in quietly, giving Tsukishima a small wave and behind them came Yachi and Kiyoko. Yamaguchi stepped forward. “This is my friend Yachi,” he said and watched as Yachi nervously gave Tsukishima a handshake. “She’s also a recruiter and her mentor is Kiyoko.”

It was obvious as slight surprise flickered across Tsukishima’s face when he laid his eyes on the two women recruiters. _You might think it’s strange that they’re ordered to ‘kill,’ Tsukki…but wait until you realize that they’re the two most vicious recruiters at the center._

“It’s really nice to finally meet you, Tsukishima,” Yachi said politely. Kiyoko simply nodded behind her. “Yamaguchi talks about you a lot.”

The freckled spirit felt his cheeks flush as he avoided the glance from Tsukishima. _Wow, thank you Yachi. Thank you very much._

“This is Narita and Kinoshita,” Ennoshita said as his two subordinates came up to give him handshakes. “They’re also in charge of paperwork.”

Tsukishima nodded, no doubt trying to register everyone’s faces and names and Yamaguchi looked over at a bob of orange hair with a frantic wave. “Hey! Tsukishima! You know me!” Hinata yelled from the doorway.

“Unfortunately, I do.”

Hinata seemed to ignore the snide remark and he bounded inside, reaching up for a high five. “How’s it going?”

The contact he received in return was a single finger pressing against his open palm. “Fine.”

“Gah, that was boring! Do it again!”

Daichi cut in, putting a hand on Hinata’s shoulder. “Tsukishima needs to go to work, but he’ll be back later tonight for some training. Does that sound good?” Hinata bobbed his head up and down despite the fact that the question wasn’t for him. Tsukishima breathed deeply before nodding. “Good. Well, Yamaguchi? Will you show him out?”

“I know where to go,” Tsukishima said, already heading for the door. Before he walked out he turned to give one last bow to them all. “Thank you for welcoming me.”

“You’re welcome,” they all chimed.

The door slid shut behind him and Yamaguchi looked around only to realize that every single Karasuno member really shouldn’t be stuffed into Daichi’s office like this.

“He’s kind of…a jerk,” Saeko settled on, tapping her chin in thought. “Yeah. Kind of a jerk. Or at least he acts like he’s got a stick up his ass.”

Tanaka and Nishinoya laughed although Saeko’s wide eyes were still trained on Yamaguchi. In turn, he shrugged. “He’s really not _that_ much of a bad guy, I swear.”

“Maybe only to you, Yamaguchi,” was Nishinoya’s quirky reply.

_…I would hope so._

\------

Walking into work inconspicuously was practically equivalent to riding an elephant into the building while screaming a greeting. The moment Tsukishima walked into the publishing company, Kuroo threw himself onto the bespectacled man with no mercy.

“Oho?” He all but purred into Tsukishima’s ear, causing the latter to grimace. “You’re late _aaggaaiinn_ , Tsukishima Kei? This is the second time in a month, my friend. Do I need to call the doctor?”

“Shove off, Kuroo,” Tsukishima said in exasperation, pushing the larger man off him who simply chuckled.

He headed for his desk, seeing Bokuto’s office door wide open. Inwardly, he sighed. Kuroo trailed after him, popping his head over his shoulder repeatedly. “It’s like, a good two hours late too, Tsukki. What’s the hold up? Oh? What’s this?”

Brows furrowing, Tsukishima looked over his shoulder to watch Kuroo pluck a piece of something off of the bottom of his coat. It was a small twig that had gotten caught. “I was adventuring,” he said blithely.

Kuroo’s narrowed eyes studied the twig and Tsukishima faintly wondered why it was such a big deal. “Adventuring where?”

“The forest.”

Naturally, that got an expected response.

The screech Kuroo made was inhuman and even Kageyama looked up from his computer in confusion. “The _forest_ forest?! The one by your house?! The one that Kageyama said was a suicide forest and that you should never, _ever_ go in there if you value your life?! Tsukishima what were you thinking! You could have died!”

Sometimes Kuroo was a best friend. Sometimes he was a brother. Most times he was an anxious mother hen that hovered around Tsukishima so extravagantly that it was suffocating.

_‘Be aware of your own emotions.’_

_Right, thanks Suga. That is proving to be_ much _easier said than done._ The vein in Tsukishima’s forehead threatened to pulse once more but he did nothing but roll his eyes at Kuroo’s hysteria. “Relax,” he grunted, dropping into his chair. “I’m not doing anything questionable. I just stepped in and look, I’m fine.”

“Tsukishima’s more dumb than brave that he decided to go into the forest,” Kageyama quipped from his computer.

The writer sent a harsh glare in his direction. “Was that even necessary?”

Before Kageyama could respond, Kuroo dropped into a squat so that he was looking up at Tsukishima rather than down at him. “You’ve gotta be careful, Tsukishima. Who knows what goes on in that forest? You’re lucky to have made it out alive!”

“When did you start getting overly superstitious?”

“Since Kageyama provided _proof_ that no body or person has ever been found. And you should be too. And be careful.”

 _I could provide tenfold the amount more proof than Kageyama that the forest is the real deal,_ Tsukishima thought absently as he simply turned away to ignore his friend.  

“Kageyama!” Kuroo exclaimed, turning towards his protégé. “You have to convince Tsukishima that he can’t go into the forest anymore!”

“I’m not his fucking keeper.”

“Oi! Don’t talk to your mentor like that!”

“I’m not his fucking keeper, Kuroo-san.”

Akaashi took that moment to step out of Bokuto’s office, a slightly peeved expression on his face. Tsukishima didn’t even have to guess why. His tardiness on top of Kuroo’s extravagance and Kageyama’s attitude was a mixture that usually wore out the infinite-seeming patience of the editor. “Back to work,” he simply said, casting an eye on Kuroo who simply snickered. “You all have deadlines, don’t you?”

Kuroo wandered away from Tsukishima’s side and Kageyama’s head disappeared back behind his computer. The writer idly clicked around his desktop, waiting for his other boss to come over.

“Is everything alright, Tsukishima?” Akaashi asked, genuine concern in his voice. It was better than anger, at least. “You didn’t call in.”

He looked up to give the other man a small nod. “Yeah, everything is fine. I’m sorry, I was just really frazzled this morning. It was hard to keep track of things. I don’t really have an excuse. It won’t happen again.”

Akaashi shook his head. “It’s fine, I’m not worried. I just want to make sure you’re okay. How about Akiteru?”

Tsukishima fought the urge to glower. “He’s fine. It wasn’t about that.”

The editor peered at him for a little bit as if trying to get past his walls, but the years had taught their friend group that Tsukishima was the sort to only open up if and when he wanted to. There was no point trying to barrel their way in. “Alright,” Akaashi said. “Work hard,” he said before turning and leaving.

Facing his computer once more, he caught Kuroo’s eyes from across the room.

‘DON’T DIE’ the designer mouthed dramatically. Tsukishima simply rolled his eyes in reply.

\----

As fate usually tends to dictate, the most terrible of happenings are supposed to occur at the calmest of moments.

It was mid-afternoon and the entire company was busy at work, more productive than usual. Then, the storm rolled in…

…Which was normal. The skies darkening didn’t faze anyone and the crackle of lightening in the distance wasn’t enough to strike fear. It was a typical fall thunderstorm and it wasn’t like the rain itself was going to crash through the walls and destroy Tsukishima’s computer.

Instead, something worse happened.

“Hng,” Tsukishima suddenly gasped, hunching down over his desk. His eyes were wide and he could only be grateful that it wasn’t loud enough to attract attention. Pain was slowly creeping throughout his body and the sensation that he was being pulled inside out filled him. _What the fuck?_ He thought in sudden panic, clutching at his shirt. Was it the bond? Was it the spiritual essence on him? _It hurts…!_

He jerked upright when he heard a voice fill the air.

_“The…puuuure ooonnneee…”_

Tsukishima looked around wildly, it was a raspy voice so loud that someone else was _sure_ to have heard it, right? But Kuroo was squinting at his computer and Kageyama had stepped out of the break room looking as grouchy as ever. _You’re kidding,_ Tsukishima thought in fear. _Don’t tell me it’s just me. I’m not going crazy._

As naturally as he could, he stood up and walked towards Bokuto’s office, ignoring the pain that shuddered his insides. It was like when Yamaguchi reached out for the bond but with a much more malicious intent behind it. The voice seemed hidden behind the thunder outside.

“Akaashi, Bokuto,” he said knocking once and stepping in. The two bosses looked up from the files they were reviewing.

“Tsukishima?” The editor asked. “What’s up?”

“Um, I was wondering, do you-“

A huge tremor shook the building from the ground up, causing them all to look towards the window. Two faces were one of slight surprise – earthquakes weren’t uncommon – but one was filled with fear. At the pound of the weather, the voice seemed to scream.

 _“CORRUUUPPPTTTT HIIIMMM!”_ It screeched and Tsukishima’s insides froze. _“Corrupt the pure soul. Taint the peaceful living. Destroy what once WAS MINE. TSUKISHIMA KEI.”_

“I-I have to go.”

Bokuto was barely able to drag his eyes away from the window to look at him in surprise. “What? Oh? Do you have something?”

Concern returned to Akaashi’s face and his mouth opened to speak when a sudden _shatter_ filled the room. The window they were looking at just seconds ago exploded into a shower of glass and Tsukishima was barely able to shield his face while Bokuto threw himself over Akaashi.

“What the-?!”

Tsukishima heard the running of feet from the larger room behind him but whirled around when Kuroo yelled. Another boom filled the air and glass was exploding, the windows and doors near the front splintering into deadly shards. “Kuroo!” He yelled out, diving to his friend who was just ducking beneath a table. He saw Kageyama looking petrified underneath his own desk.

“There’s a tornado!” They heard Bokuto shout from inside of office and they turned their heads to see him and Akaashi crawling out of the door. Bokuto’s arm was hovering above Akaashi’s head. “We have to get to the safe zone!”

Tsukishima nodded absently as he watched Kuroo start crawling. The voice was still repeating the same mantra as before, claiming that it’d corrupt him or taint him or whatever.

 _It’s not a tornado,_ he realized grimly. Slowly, he raised his head above the desk and took slow steps towards the front of the building. The wind was whipping around wildly and if it weren’t for the pain tugging his organs left and right and the voice in the air, Tsukishima would be sure it was a tornado too.

But when he took a single step out onto the sidewalk and peered down the road, he saw with growing fear a figure far in the distance.

It wasn’t hard to guess what it was.

It was a spectre.

 _They can’t see it,_ Tsukishima thought, thinking back to Bokuto and Akaashi. _It looks like a tornado to them._

And for good reason too. The spectre looked like something right out of a zombie movie but far more grotesque. Instead of rotting limbs, the body looked like it was being eaten alive from the inside out by a black flaming mass. _Unlike the spirit’s calming blue, instead this is a deathly black._ It shuddered as it took limping steps forward and the air surrounding it whirled with vengeance. Car alarms went off and signs bent. The spectre had eyes coloured pitch black.

Suddenly, all the information that he had ever been told about spectres rushed into his mind. Tsukishima nearly threw up when he realized, _This is a human being. This is a mortal person who had been purposefully touched by a spirit. This is what they’ve turned into._

As if the spectre knew exactly what was going on, it cricked its neck inhumanly in Tsukishima’s direction and its eyes widened.

 _“TSUKISHIMA KEI!”_ it screeched, its mouth opening into a hole of black.

“Holy fuck,” he stuttered, turning back into the building and sprinting towards the safe zone. Bokuto was just herding Kageyama into the room when he looked around and panicked. The chief raised his head just in time to catch Tsukishima running towards him.

“Tsukishima!” he screamed, “Get in here! Hurry!”

But at his words, Tsukishima came to a grinding halt. His thought process began to whirl in less than milliseconds.

 _I can’t risk their lives over what they think is a tornado. The spectre wants me. The spectre wants_ me _and if it gets anywhere near them who knows what it will do? And what’s the one way to ensure that your target is completely taken down?_

_By taking out the things that they care for._

_I’m sorry, Bokuto-san. Just trust me._

He turned away while wind slammed against the building and he nearly gasped at the pain that spiked through his body. The spectre was close.

“TSUKISHIMA!” Bokuto yelled, his hands flailing. “COME HERE!”

“I can’t!” He shouted in reply, seeing the confusion and fear flash across his boss’ face. “I’ll be back, I swear.” And before Bokuto could do anything more than let out a cry, Tsukishima was throwing open the back door and sprinting towards his car.

The spectre was _much_ faster than Tsukishima gave it credit for. By the time he was throwing himself into the driver’s seat and shoving his key into the ignition, the spectre was crawling _over_ the building and dropping down in front of him.

“You are fucking persistent,” Tsukishima growled as he slammed the gas, the car careening forwards. Speeding out of the parking lot and watching the spectre practically hurtle towards him, he drove like his life depended on it. Which, it did.

Praising any and all deities above him that his home wasn’t too far away, he amped up the speed until he was zooming down the street with no care for pedestrians or other vehicles. It wasn’t like anyone was trying to drive in the middle of tornado weather anyway.

 _I just need to get to the damn forest,_ Tsukishima thought as he gripped the wheel with white knuckles. The spectre was tailing him closely, slamming against other cars and obstacles in its way yet blowing through them without trouble. Cars flipped and the road cracked underneath a particular hard jump and Tsukishima wondered how the hell spectres even worked. It completely defied logic. _Unnatural._

Finally, the tips of the forest behind his apartment came into view and completely disregarding his parking lot, he sped to the edge of the forest, barely braking in time to avoid crashing right into a tree.

“HELP!” He shouted, throwing himself out of the car and falling into a dead sprint towards the foliage. “SOMEBODY HELP ME!”

 _“TSUUUKISHIIMMAAA KEEEEIIIIIIII!”_ The spectre screamed and Tsukishima stepped into the forest with the creature right on his heels.

Immediately there was a flash of blue and Tsukishima turned his head while running, effectively tripping over himself and falling to the ground. He gaped in shock as a spirit hurtled out of the treetops, two pencil-thin blades gripped in their hands. The spectre looked up at the incoming attacker and before it could do anything to fight back, blades slashed through the air.

A screech so loud and full with anguish and torment filled the air. Tsukishima gasped in agony, falling back against the ground and gripping at his chest in vain. It was a vice-like grip that seemed to be clutching his heart and only when the spectre gurgled its last sounds did the feeling disappear.

Desperate for breath and also paranoid of what might happen to him next, he raised his head only to widen his eyes in surprise. “Y-You!”

Calm black eyes looked down at him and the girl simply tucked a strand of long dark hair around her ear. Without giving him an answer, she looked up towards the trees. “Hitoka, did you see all that? Did you take notes?” Her voice was soft and gentle and Tsukishima continued to gape in confusion. She was… He had just met her…

“Yes!” Another familiar voice wafted through the air and Tsukishima stared as a tiny figure dropped from the trees into a perfect land right in front of his saviour. “I have it all written down.”

“Good,” the black-haired recruiter said. “We’ll review the strategies and techniques I used when we get back. Timing is very important. But for now…”

They both looked towards Tsukishima and the smaller spirit dropped to her knees with sympathy and concern in her eyes. She barely looked fazed at the fact that a _monster_ was killed right in front of them. “Oh my,” Yachi – he remembered her name – said, reaching out for Tsukishima. Instinctively, he pulled away from her misty blue hand and thought back to the spectre that was… _lying motionless on the forest floor. Jesus Christ, what the fuck?_ “Yamaguchi’s going to be so worried!”

“As we all are,” Kiyoko – he remembered _her_ name too – supplied. “Please come with us, Tsukishima. This whole ‘going to work normally’ plan does not seem like it will work out anytime soon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Were people thinking that the Edgesiders were the antagonists? They're not really; they're just kind of douchebags that live in the corner of the forest, ahah. The real antagonists will be appearing soon :)
> 
> Stay tuned! Kudos and comments are appreciated as always!  
> Juni~


	6. A Pebble Holds Back A Waterfall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 6!!! Here it is in all it's glory! Once again, thank you for reading it and walking this path of spirits with me! I appreciate you all so much~
> 
> A shoutout to my wonderful new beta, Amber, and moral support, Ana, for helping me explode with even more motivation for this story.

 

“Damnit.”

There was a stunned silence that filled the small clearing behind the recruitment center as the trio of spirits stared in shock.

“I think you killed it.”

“Is it actually dead?”

Yamaguchi reached out and poked its flank. The creature didn’t move. “Yeah, I think it’s dead.”

Nishinoya groaned loudly, throwing his head back and gripping his hair tightly. “Daaaamnit, Asahi, we messed up! Damnit, damnit!”

The large spirit was too busy staring in horrified shock at the poor rabbit that lay on the forest floor to notice Nishinoya’s groans. It had a piece of leather with a stone attached wrapped around its neck and it was most definitely dead.

“I-I’m sorry, I, oh my god, I killed it. Jesus Christ-“

Chuckling nervously, Yamaguchi reached out to pull the bracelet off the rabbit. “Um, Asahi, Noya, please relax. It’s not really your fault; you’ve never done something like this before anyway. Plus, at least it didn’t die in pain.”

Asahi’s trembling hands were already reaching forward, scooping up the deceased animal with woe on his face. “But it’s… It was unintentional,” he said in a quiet voice, almost as if he were trying to apologize to the animal for its fate. “I’m sorry.”

“We’ll get it right next time,” Nishinoya said with fervor, gripping his fists tightly as he stared at the rabbit in the other’s hands. “No more tests on rabbits. Let’s use like…fish. At least then we can eat it.”

Yamaguchi scratched at his cheek. “Technically, you can eat that-“

“No!” Asahi cried out at the same time Nishinoya physically launched himself between him and Yamaguchi, throwing his arms out to shield the dead animal.

“Yamaguchi, you will not eat this bunny. It’s going to have a proper burial.”

The recruiter blinked before laughing. “Alright, that’s fine. I wasn’t actually going to eat it,” he said with a grin. “I think it deserves a nice funeral too.”

They had been out in the back of the Center since Tsukishima had left that morning. The two weapon makers had claimed that they were going to start experimenting with their current progress on the diluted reaping fluid.

Yachi had surprised Yamaguchi with Tsukishima’s bracelet, a smooth piece of onyx intertwined intricately into a leather strap. The stone itself had the shape of tiny stars engraved on its surface, seeming to twinkle against the black because of the dusty scratches. When he questioned why that particular image, all she did was smile sweetly, clasp her hands and ask, _“What’s a moon without its stars?”_

He gave it to Nishinoya who then simply tossed it into the small bucket containing their experimental fluid. He blinked when Asahi said thank you, because apparently, they had initially been planning to dip a rock in the liquid and put it on an animal’s back.

Hefting the small bracelet in his hands, he studied the small stone while the other two spirits discussed how to fix their current problem. Yachi had his cuff, she said, and she’d give it to him before the festival tonight as a little present. For now, they were frantically trying to fix Tsukishima’s problem before evening rolled around.

_A moon without its stars?_ He thought absently, rubbing his thumb against the stars etched into the stone with a steady hand. _It’d be nothing. The sun blazes hard enough that it calls all the attention to itself without fail. But the moon has no one to appreciate it at night but the stars._

“Yamaguchi!”

The freckled spirit looked up. Nishinoya was waving a hand in his face with a happy grin. “Yeah?”

“We know what to do. I promise on my past life that me and Asahi will have it done in the next few hours!”

The recruiter smiled. “I trust you…” he said, before the smile slowly morphed into a confused expression. “What?”

Asahi cocked his head. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s…” Yamaguchi bit his lip, furrowing his brows. He didn’t want to claim the wrong thing but... “It’s Tsukki. He’s here?”

It should’ve been impossible since Tsukishima was at _work_ and seemed quite determined to stay there and do whatever mortal things he had to do. But he doubted the bond lied and just like the very first time the mortal came to Karasuno, Yamaguchi could feel his presence from across the center. What was Tsukishima doing here _now_?

Pressing down on the tempting urge to peek through their bond, he was about to stand up when the door leading back into the building slid open. Yachi stood with a troubled expression.

“Um, Nishinoya-san? Asahi-san? Daichi wanted me to pass along a request.” She spoke timidly, eyes flickering over to Yamaguchi with worry. He wanted to ask her what was wrong but the weapon makers beat him to it.

“Of course,” the smallest spirit quipped, sitting up straight. “What is it? And are you okay? You look more nervous than Asahi, Yachi!”

Ignoring the sounds of protest from the larger spirit, they all broke into small smiles as the female recruiter rubbed at her elbow. “I’m alright,” she said reassuringly. “Daichi wants to know if it’s possible that you could make a spectre shroud for Tsukishima. Like if you could take the charms we have protecting the Center and replicate it onto something else.”

Nishinoya’s brows were furrowed deeply and he rubbed his chin in thought. “We can definitely do that, but what would you put it on? I don’t want to put it on this bracelet because it might mess around with the diluted reaping fluid and I don’t know if we have time to experiment anymore… Oh!”

Yachi had simply tilted her head and smiled cheerfully, one hand raised up as a finger was hooked on a long chain. A necklace fell downwards and bobbed, revealing a matching onyx stone cut perfectly in the shape of a crescent moon. “Could we use this?” Her question was aimed for Nishinoya, but her eyes rested on Yamaguchi.

He stared at it in surprise. It was beautiful and simple and even from a distance he could tell that it was the matching set to the bracelet he held in his hands. Swallowing and trying to ignore the imaged the flashed through his head of Tsukishima wearing the jewelry, he nodded.

“Yeah, that definitely works!” Nishinoya had already bounded over, plucking the necklace from her hands. “This’ll be ready for tonight. In fact, both things will be ready for him tonight. God, we better hear some hearty ‘thank you’s’ from that mortal later today, Asahi.”

“Why does he need it?” Yamaguchi asked, trying to redirect the conversation. The necklace was beautiful, but its purpose was questionable. Spectre repellents for a mortal? What on earth happened?

But before Yachi could respond, Tanaka had passed by the hallway behind her, pausing when he overheard Yamaguchi’s question. He turned his head, looking a bit miffed. “Because that damn idiot’s throwing a gigantic hissy fit and is demanding that he keeps going to work like normal instead of staying here, where he’s safe.”

“What?! What happ-“

“He’s safe, Yamaguchi, don’t worry,” Yachi said quickly, though the freckled spirit was already flying towards the doorway and barging in.

The rest of her words faded off into the distance as Yamaguchi barreled down the hallway, trying to find the familiar bespectacled man. He found them just as Tsukishima and Ennoshita were stepping out of the office and he froze. You didn’t need a bond to tell that anger was radiating off of Tsukishima in waves. His face was scrunched up in an expression of fury and his fists were clenched at his sides. The mortal glanced at Yamaguchi _once_ and the expression did nothing if not grow even darker.

_Well, shit. What did I do wrong?_

Ennoshita slowed to a stop as Tsukishima stalked past them both, heading towards the back of the Center. Yamaguchi watched the mortal stomp angrily into the forest, ignoring the worried look that Asahi sent him as he was entering the building. He nearly sprinted after him when Ennoshita cleared his throat, causing him to whip his head back.

“What happened?” he demanded. He felt desperate, guilty and even more afraid. “What’s wrong?”

Ennoshita looked worried. “Tsukishima was attacked by a spectre while he was at work.” The older spirit spoke bluntly, watching Yamaguchi as he felt the blood drain from his face. “Apparently, his coworkers said it looked like a tornado but it was deadly fast and knew his name. If it hadn’t been for Kiyoko and Yachi doing training out in the woods, it would’ve been too late. He’s alright though.” Ennoshita glanced towards the back door.

Yamaguchi gaped, unsure even of what to say. What was a spectre doing in the mortal world? Who had _let it go_? There was no doubt that it was from The Shade, seeing as that was the only place that even had spectres, but… “How…?” He ended up asking lamely.

“He already spoke to Daichi and Suga but,” the spirit rubbed his face. “The reason why it knew his name was because the spectre knew Tsukishima as a mortal.”

_“_ It _what?”_ Yamaguchi voiced in horror.

Ennoshita nodded, looking grave. “Tanaka had brought the body back so that we could bury it as usual but Tsukishima caught a glimpse of it. Apparently, he was an old schoolmate of his during university.”

_Tsukki knew the spectre,_ Yamaguchi thought with sinking depression. _Tsukki knew the spectre and the spectre knew him and damnit, if that doesn’t make this situation even worse already…_ “How did it know where he was?” He asked weakly and Ennoshita sighed. “Spectres are just slowly dying beings. They don’t lose their memories. I wouldn’t be surprised if it simply remembered that Tsukishima worked in that particular place.”

“This is terrible,” the recruiter whispered, burying his face in his hands. “Why didn’t he use the bond? He could’ve called us for help, we could’ve-“

“No, we couldn’t have,” Ennoshita said firmly, pulling a hand away from Yamaguchi’s face. “Don’t blame this on yourself and remember to not blame him either. You two decided not to use the bond therefore he was doing what was agreed on. And even if he did call out, we can’t leave this forest. We can only be grateful that he outran it and got here in time. Do you understand?”

Yamaguchi nodded, pressing his lips together as he tried to control his emotions. It wouldn’t be any good if suddenly his bouts of distress mingled with Tsukishima’s feelings of anger and rage. “Should I go talk to him?”

“You better than any of us,” Ennoshita said with a small smile. “He wouldn’t even pay attention to Daichi.”

The recruiter turned to look out the back door, feeling Tsukishima’s presence somewhere in the distance. He hadn’t stepped farther out from the bounds of Karasuno but he wouldn’t put it past the mortal to do something without realizing. He gave Ennoshita a grateful smile. “Thanks,” he said.

\-----

Before Yamaguchi went on the hunt for Tsukishima, he took a detour to the weaponry. He stepped in to see Nishinoya and Asahi hard at work, bending over the bucket of reaping fluid with various vials around them. He cleared his throat, catching their attention.

“Yamaguchi, is he alright?” Asahi asked, concern obvious in his eyes.

“Yachi told us everything,” Nishinoya added, wiping fluid on his kimono. It left glowing blue streaks. “I feel really bad.”

The recruiter shook his head. “I don’t know yet, I’m going to go see him now. I just wanted to say sorry and thank you for doing all this,” he said as he gestured towards the bucket. “You’re doing so much for me and Tsukki and I don’t know how I can repay you two. If there’s anything…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Asahi said kindly, shaking his head. “You don’t have to owe us anything.”

“Yeah!” The smaller spirit crowed. “We’d be happy to do this for you anytime. You’ve given us such cool projects to work on, we haven’t been this busy in forever!”

Asahi chuckled, nodding in agreement. “If it’s to keep you or any one of our friends safe, we’ll do it willingly. Tsukishima is someone you care about, so we want to keep him safe as well.”

Flushing behind freckles, Yamaguchi bowed slightly. “Thank you, I really mean it. I was wondering, could I give Tsukki his _wakizashis_ now? You know, anything to lessen the…” he waved his hand vaguely, hoping they understood what he meant.

Nishinoya hummed before nodding. “Yeah, yeah you can. The handles should be done drying by now since I painted them yesterday. Lemme go get them.”

As the smaller weaponmaker bustled to another area of the weaponry, Yamaguchi wandered over to peer into the experimental bucket with Asahi. “Have you… Have you ever seen someone you knew after dying?” He asked the giant curiously.

“I have,” Asahi said, grabbing a vial as he kept his eyes on the slightly bubbling liquid.

“Oh?” Yamaguchi said in slight surprise. It wasn’t usually something people talked about openly and most times the chances were slim to none because of the randomness of appearing in Yokohama or going straight to the afterlife. But hearing that Asahi did was a shock. “Who?”

“Nishinoya.”

“What?!” The recruiter exclaimed, jumping so hard that he nearly knocked over the bucket. He steadied it with a frantic ‘sorry!’ “You knew Nishinoya during your mortal life?!”

Asahi looked a bit flustered at the question and he nodded, resealing the small vial. “Yes. When we met here, it was… very surprising.”

“I’ll bet,” Yamaguchi breathed, eyes wide. “What were you two, before?”

At _that_ question, the larger spirit looked even more red. “Um. I was, er. Well…”

“He was my elementary school teacher,” Nishinoya’s voice rang out as he stepped back into the room, a pair of _wakizashis_ wrapped carefully in cloth in his arms. There was an amused grin on his face. “I first met Asahi when I was but eight years old!”

Yamaguchi stared at the two with an open mouth. “What?”

Asahi looked so flustered that he simply wiped his forehead with his sleeve and coughed, leaving Nishinoya to the explanation.

“He was my teacher,” the shorter spirit repeated. He handed Yamaguchi the weapons and the recruiter took them without question. _Heavy_ , he thought. “He died because of a sickness shortly after I finished that grade, though. My family was really bummed. I grew up and whatever, dying at the tender age of twenty-five because of a car crash. So when I saw Asahi in Yokohama, I definitely recognized _him_ , but man, you should’ve seen his face when I told him it was me! His troublemaker student from his old teaching days!”

Nishinoya cackled loudly and Yamaguchi chuckled along with him, still in disbelief at the situation. It was not a secret amongst the Center that the two weaponmakers were extremely fond of each other, so much to the point of question. But hearing their backstory, Yamaguchi wanted to turn his wide eyes at Asahi and stare.

Instead, he simply took pity on the larger spirit who looked like he could faint and grinned at his friend. “Wow, I would have never guessed that was your guys’ story. Is that why you immediately chose to work in weaponry instead of recruiting? Because you knew Asahi from before?”

His question was answered with a quick nod. “That, and I was always a hands-on kind of kid in school. Building stuff is really cool. Seeing you guys do epic stuff with the stuff I _made_ is even cooler.”

Yamaguchi smiled faintly. He was reminded of the ‘cool’ stuff he was expected to do with his own reaping weapons and he tightened his grip on the _wakizashis_. “You do make really great things, Noya. You too, Asahi.” He was answered with an even fainter smile in thanks from the larger spirit. “Thanks for these. I’m sure he’ll like them.”

“He better! We put in effort to make those look extra damn awesome.”

Chuckling, he nodded. “I don’t doubt it. Well, I’ll see you two tonight for the festival.”

Asahi waved while Nishinoya sent him a thumbs up. “We’ll have his shroud all set and ready!”

\-------- 

It wasn’t that hard to find Tsukishima. The mortal’s grunts could be heard even from a distance as Yamaguchi wandered the forest. When the spirit stepped onto the bank of a small river, he watched as Tsukishima hurled a small stone into the water with amazing force, the water splashing upwards.

He didn’t have to see his expression to know that the mortal was hurting. Yamaguchi could clearly see the hunched form of his shoulders and the gripped fists at his sides. Clutching the weapons tighter for a moment, he decided to leave them under the shelter of a tree before stepping onto the gravel.

“Um, the river has enough stones as is, Tsukki,” he said hesitantly before stilling. _What the hell?! That was so dumb! What does that even mean, ‘the river has enough stones?’ Oh my god I’m an idiot._

Tsukishima didn’t startle at his voice but he did turn his head to look at him. His eyes looked haunted and Yamaguchi felt regret eat away at him even more. _He_ was the reason this mortal was going through so much pain.

“What are you doing here?” His tone was flat.

“Looking for you,” Yamaguchi admitted, taking a few more steps so that he was next to Tsukishima, looking down at the water. The mortal didn’t move. “What are you doing here?” _‘Getting away from you,_ ’ he expected the other to say.

The mortal turned away to look at the stone he was currently holding in his hand. “Thinking.”

Yamaguchi nodded. He wanted to ask what he was thinking about but there was an unlikely chance that Tsukishima would just suddenly open up and talk. “I… I heard what happened.”

There was a whoosh and the spirit jerked, whipping his head to stare at Tsukishima. One moment, the mortal was standing calmly next to him. The next, his arm had done a complete arc around and the stone was gone from his hand. The water splashed. “W-What?”

Tsukishima did nothing but point. Following the direction of his finger, Yamaguchi’s eyes widened when he saw the body of a fish float to the surface, it’s side bleeding and crushed, as if done by the sharp edge of a stone.

“You just… did you seriously just- Oh my god, you just-“ He blabbered, shocked at the preciseness of Tsukishima’s actions. “How the _heck_ -?”

Shrugging, the taller man shoved his hands into his pockets. “My aim is okay.”

“ _Okay?_ Tsukki, what even- Your aim is fantastic!”

The mortal looked a bit uncomfortable with the high praise. “I have a mediocre success rate,” he ended up mumbling, turning his head. Yamaguchi watched him scan the ground for more rocks. _This is… his way of opening up,_ the spirit realized. _Tsukki never barges into something head on. He’s the master of beating around the bush until it’s shaped perfectly into what he wants to say._

“Did you practice as a kid?”

“I played ball with my brother a lot when I was younger.”

_Aha. The bush has been trimmed to perfection._ Yamaguchi knew that they were about to tread onto a sensitive topic so he carefully chose his words. “But now…not anymore?”

Tsukishima kicked a pebble into the river. They watched it sink with only a tiny bubble as a reminder of its existence on land. “There’s a lot of things that we don’t do anymore.”

The expression on his face morphed for a second, the change so fleeting that Yamaguchi would’ve missed it if he hadn’t been staring at Tsukishima intently. It was a look anyone would be familiar with – one of regret. He knew only shallowly about the problems Tsukishima had with his brother. The mortal told him the reason of their falling out when he was tipsy that one night, but Yamaguchi didn’t know anything more except that he was an ‘overbearing, freeloader of a brother.’ But judging by the other’s expression, there was so much more.

“You seem like you want to fix that.”

The dam broke.

Tsukishima’s expression shuttered, but only briefly. He dropped his head and pressed a hand to his face, grinding the heel of his palm against his eye. Yamaguchi faintly wondered if he was crying, but he saw no tears. “I do, fucking hell, I do.” Tsukishima’s voice broke halfway through the sentence and the amount of emotion he packed into it tugged at the spirit’s heartstrings. He looked down, away from the emotionally distraught mortal.

“There’s so much I want to do, so many things that can be fixed… I don’t want to become a spirit and just _leave it all behind_.”

Yamaguchi would’ve been lying if he said he didn’t want to cry. Hearing Tsukishima sound like he was on the verge of breaking down when he seemed like a man of such few emotions was giving him inner turmoil. All he could do was bite his lip and allow the other man to keep talking.

“Akiteru… I never give people chances. Fuck, I don’t remember the last time I did. He deserves one, though. I know he does. It’s just…” He let out a ragged sigh. “So fucking hard.”

The spirit could understand Tsukishima’s words, even if a little. Sometimes it was hard to imagine a second chance. Dying seemed like a one way street for anyone, but spirits that appeared in Yokohama had to realize that they were given a second chance to redeem the life they previously lost. Second chances were hard to come by and even harder to earn.

“I wouldn’t have wanted to leave my family either,” Yamaguchi mumbled quietly, unsure of what else to say but to sympathize. “I’d want you to stay with your brother forever, if possible.”

There was a snort as Tsukishima shook his head. “Impossible. We’re all going to die. This,” he clenched his fist tightly – the one with the bond mark, “is only making it happen sooner.” He turned his head to look at Yamaguchi. “All I wanted was that one day, I could fix it properly. Akiteru’s the kind who’ll wait.”

_There’s still a chance you can,_ Yamaguchi thought forlornly, though the words didn’t come to his lips. He wanted so badly to say it, but his heart tugged the words back. What he _truly_ wanted was for Tsukishima to stay here, with him in the forest, and with the rest of Karasuno. Ashamed at the thought, he lowered his gaze. “What else don’t you want to leave behind?” He asked, hiding the forcefulness of his words.

There was a pause before “…Kuroo.”

“Who’s that?”

“My friend at work. Him, Bokuto and Akaashi. Maybe even Kageyama. They’re all my colleagues and friends from school.”

His face darkened at the word ‘school’ and Yamaguchi thought back to the spectre. Ennoshita said that it was someone Tsukishima knew from his school days. He felt nervous to ask, so he didn’t. Thankfully, the mortal didn’t change topics.

“They got me to where I am in my career. I can’t just leave them without repaying what they’ve done for me.”

It was odd to hear Tsukishima openly admitting that he owed people something. _But that just means he’s a genuinely nice person. He cares for his friends and family so much that death doesn’t even scare him. What scares him the most is leaving the people he cares about without anything in thanks._

_Or maybe he’s just saying everything now because he thinks it’s hopeless. That he’ll actually leave them all and that there’s nothing he can do about it._

The thought left overwhelming amounts of guilt within Yamaguchi. He worried his bottom lip before opening his mouth to speak. He _had_ to sound supportive. But Tsukishima beat him to it.

“And what am I even supposed to do if I’m stuck here? Kill people?” Yamaguchi felt his blood run cold. This conversation again. “As if I would ever sink so low as to doing that.”

“Tsukki…”

“No, Yamaguchi. You and everyone here are coldhearted. I watched Kiyoko kill that spectre, that _person_ , like it was no effort at all.” Tsukishima was practically spitting the words. His insult had pierced Yamaguchi so badly that the spirit actually took a step back, hands clenching within his sleeves.

_Calm, Tadashi. Calm. He doesn’t know what he’s saying. He’s never experienced it like everyone else. He doesn’t know_ you _enough._

“That…that _person_ was someone I knew. Someone I _knew_! It wasn’t their fault they turned into a spectre and it sure as hell wasn’t their fault that they were fucking slaughtered by some woman who thinks she was saving their damn soul. Do you expect me to be like that if I ended up here, in Karasuno? There’s no way you’ll get me to kill. Not a fucking chance.”

Yamaguchi pressed his lips in a tight line as he forced his breathing calm. _It’s not his fault_ , he forced himself to think. _It’s not his fault he doesn’t understand. I’m only angry because he’s thinking the same things_ I _thought when I became a recruiter. I’m looking at my past self. It’s not his fault. It’s not his fault.”_

Taking a deep breath after counting to ten, the spirit looked at the mortal in the eye. Mustering up as much firmness in his voice, he said “There’s a difference between physically dead and mentally dead, Tsukki.”

“What?” The confused expression on the other’s face didn’t waver him.

“There’s a difference.”

“You already told me ‘they’re already dead.’ I don’t know what that means. But either way, it’s the same thing.”

The recruiter shook his head lightly. “It’s not. I’ll… one day, I’ll take you with me on a shift.” He shot Tsukishima a glare when the mortal looked like he was about to protest. Surprisingly, the blond bit his lip and allowed him to talk. “The look in their eyes… It’s like their world was destroyed underneath their feet. The way they walk has no purpose and they don’t cry anymore because there’s nothing left inside of them. Why would you let someone continue to suffer like that?”

Tsukishima stared at him with indecipherable eyes and Yamaguchi sighed. “That’s…not the point. If something were to happen, there’s still all of Yokohama and the rest of the spiritual world where you could settle down.” He looked away, a flush threatening to stain his cheeks. “But I would – um, _everyone_ would prefer if you chose to settle in Karasuno.”

They were standing a good few feet apart, yet Yamaguchi felt like he just dragged open a canyon between them. He had just openly admitted that he wanted Tsukishima to stay _here_ when here was the last place the mortal wanted to be in. _CURSE YOU, MY NO-FILTER MOUTH,_ he wailed internally.

The mortal didn’t reply and Yamaguchi was too terrified to peek at his expression. He heard when Tsukishima shifted, however, turning back to the water.

“You guys didn’t tell me.”

Startling at the sudden change in topic as well as the obvious avoidance of his previous statement, Yamaguchi looked up at the other. Tsukishima had a shadowed expression on his face. The spirit had the sudden feeling that he did something very wrong.

“Tell you…what?”

“You’re dead.”

Yamaguchi blinked. It wasn’t a startling revelation seeing as that was something he had been dealing for the past few decades, however, hearing it from Tsukishima made him realize, _we never explicitly told him._

“Not like it was hard to assume… but I don’t like certain things like that kept hidden from me especially with a situation as drastic as this.” Tsukishima stepped forward to kick at the river, his heel splashing against the water. Yamaguchi kept quiet. “You’re dead. You’ve died. This is not about me ‘turning’ into a spirit. It’s me _dying_ and turning into one of you. Not that it matters how it happens but…” He turned around to stare at Yamaguchi with a helpless expression. It didn’t suit his face at all. “You couldn’t even tell me straight to my face that I’m _dying_?”

His fingers twitched in front of him, twisting together as he listened to Tsukishima’s open words. Yamaguchi didn’t realize just how much certain information could affect a person until just now. _It’s the same thing,_ he wanted to argue, but Tsukishima’s expression said the opposite.

“H-How did you know?” He found himself quietly choking out.

Tsukishima whirled around again, kicking the water once more. “Hinata,” he said curtly.

_Hinata?_

“He was trying to make me ‘feel better’ earlier and was talking about his ‘past.’” The hunched shoulders made another appearance. Yamaguchi had the overwhelming urge to walk over and press his fingers deep into them, forcing the muscles to relax. Without thinking, he took a step forward as Tsukishima kept talking. “He’s _old_ , Yamaguchi.” The recruiter stilled when he heard his name fall from the other’s lips.

“He’s old as shit and was born when the country was being _created_. He told me he served under the second goddamn _emperor of Japan._ ”

Leave it to Hinata of all people to say something as crucial as that without thought. Yamaguchi faintly wondered how Tsukishima took the information, if he stood there and accepted it or if he threw a fit in front of the other recruiter’s face.

“Hinata was one of the founders of Karasuno,” he mumbled. “Him, Daichi, Suga and Ennoshita.”

“He’s like, sixteen!”

“….Two thousand five hundred fifty-two.”

“What?” Amber eyes were staring at him in complete shock.

Yamaguchi coughed and rubbed at his elbow, looking away. “Hinata is two thousand five hundred and fifty-two years old. He celebrated it a few weeks ago. That’s how I, uh, know.”

Tsukishima nodded slowly, as if Yamaguchi had just told him that he had two heads and was from another planet. “Hearing that in numbers is a lot worse than him saying that he knew Emperor Suizei. How old are you? Wait, do I even want to know?”

The spirit gave him a tiny smile. “I’m much younger than Hinata. I died just a few decades ago.”

“ _D-Decades?_ ” Tsukishima choked.

“If it makes you feel any better, I’m the youngest in the center?”

“That does not make me feel better.”

Yamaguchi bit his lip, fidgeting even harder. This was not how he expected the conversation to go. Their topics had jumped around so much and so spontaneously that he wasn’t sure what to address first. The hysteria that tinged the edges of Tsukishima’s sanity? The guilt that was dragging down his own chest? The fact that he and everyone else at the center completely disregarded to blatantly tell Tsukishima the truth about his situation?

There was so much to say, so much to explain, but all he could do was reach up and tug awkwardly at his hair. “Sorry, Tsukki.”

He was met with a moment of silence before the mortal sighed, about to turn away.

“Oh! Wait, no. I do have something.”

Turning away, he quickly ran to the tree on the edge of the river bank where he hid the clothed weapons. Hefting them into his arms, he turned back to Tsukishima who was watching him curiously. _Is this a good time? This is definitely_ a time _. When else can I give this to him? What even should I say?_

The shape of the object in his hands was obvious and Tsukishima’s brows furrowed when Yamaguchi stopped before him. “These are for you. They’re reaping weapons.” He flipped the cloth’s flap open, revealing sleek metal sheaths and artistically designed handles that looked exactly like his own. He inwardly applauded Nishinoya’s craftsmanship.

The mortal seemed to flinch away when the weapons came into view. “I don’t want to kill, I said-“

“You don’t have to,” Yamaguchi said quickly. “And we’re not asking you to be a recruiter. These are just to protect you if a spectre were ever to attack you again.”

“A spectre…” The wariness was obvious in his tone.

Yamaguchi spoke quietly. “I’d rather you protect the life you seem determined to keep rather than lose it over a creature who’s already lost their mortality to their vengeful spirit.”

The quietness from the other seemed to stretch for hours. They stared at each other in silence, Yamaguchi standing firm to his words while Tsukishima seemed to widen his eyes. A strange feeling fluttered in the spirit’s chest, growing the longer he stared into the other’s face. _He seems surprised, almost,_ Yamaguchi thought absently.

The moment snapped when Tsukishima looked down, reaching forward for the weapon automatically, as if he was ordered to do it. He gripped the hilt and unsheathed one of the _wakizashis_ , biting his lip when the blade glinted in the sunlight. “I don’t know how to fight with these,” he admitted flatly.

“That’s fine,” Yamaguchi quipped cheerfully, smiling faintly in encouragement. “Neither did I when I first started. You’ll be training with Suga, like all of us did.”

The statement caused an expression of dubiousness to creep onto the mortal’s face. “I was wondering about that… Suga? That meek-seeming guy that hovers around Daichi? Is he actually the swords master?”

_Aha. Ahahaha._ Yamaguchi grimaced at the flash of memories that bombarded him. “You don’t want to underestimate him any more than you already do,” he said. “Suga is very strong.”

“He’s smaller than me.”

“He is _very strong_.”

Tsukishima still seemed to not believe him. “Are you sure? Because this looks deadly and I really did take martial arts as a kid and-“

“Tsukki. Sugawara-san is stronger than _Daichi_.”

That seemed to silence the mortal and a flicker of fear ran across amber irises. Yamaguchi didn’t want to say much, knowing that the only way anyone learned from Suga was coming in without any idea of his true abilities. It was almost a sort of initiation into the Center, kind of. To be able to survive Suga’s training and still live sanely enough to tell the tale.

Silently, he prayed for Tsukishima’s near future.

Pulling the _wakizashi_ out completely, the mortal held it with an awkward grip. “I don’t even know how to hold this,” he muttered, staring at the weapon as if it offended him.

Yamaguchi restrained a chuckle. Setting the other weapon down onto the ground, he reached over and started adjusting Tsukishima’s fingers, sliding his hand to the proper spot on the weapon’s hilt. “You have to hold it closer to the guard,” he explained, tapping on the small bar that separated from blade from the hilt. “The longer the weapon, the higher up you have to grip. The blade is heavy and coordination is going to be harder.”

The recruiter released his hold on Tsukishima’s hand and immediately, the weapon fell to the ground, clanking against the stones heavily. He blinked.

“Um.” He stared at the weapon that was lying on the ground then to the hand that was loosely held open in front of him. Finally, he looked up at the mortal’s face. Tsukishima looked… _strange._

His face looked devoid of colour and he was staring at Yamaguchi with an expression that was unreadable. His entire body was rigid and tense and his hand was completely open, as if he hadn’t heard a single word that Yamaguchi was saying when he explained weapon handling. “Um,” he said again.

“Sorr-“ Tsukishima coughed the rest of his sentence, dropping down to pick up the weapon hastily, adjusting his grip on the hilt. “Like this?” he grunted, but his words had less bite.

Yamaguchi peered at the mortal’s hands and saw the whites of his knuckles. _Is he okay…?_ He nodded. “Yeah, that’s perfect. And grip it tight. So that you don’t, you know, drop it.”

The mortal bobbed his head in a jerky motion, his eyes glued to the weapon in his hand. The spirit felt tempted to question it but instead he bent down, reaching for the second _wakizashi_. Tsukishima spoke above him.

“What are your weapons?”

He paused, before lifting the second _wakizashi_ and cradling it in his arms carefully. He tried to hide his embarrassment by seeming to study the hilt’s design intensely. “ _Tantos_ ,” he said.

“Which are?”

“Um, small daggers.”

“Can I see them?”

Yamaguchi flushed, looking up at Tsukishima in surprise. _I can’t show him! They’re literally the exact same as his own weapons! Curse Nishinoya and his insane ideas…_ “They’re really nothing special,” he said with a weak chuckle. “Just small, worn out daggers.”

Tsukishima looked unmoved. “So? I want to see them.”

The spirit stared at the mortal and the mortal stared back, winning the staring contest once Yamaguchi exhaled deeply. “Fine. Hold this, it’s yours.” He shoved the second _wakizashi_ into Tsukishima’s arms but he didn’t question when the other man immediately set them both down onto the ground. _Whatever. His weapons, his choice._

Sliding his hands into his kimono, feeling for his sheaths, he felt Tsukishima’s eyes on him as he pulled out the small weapons, holding both of them in the palms of his hands. “They’re… Nishinoya has limited desi-“

“They suit you.”

“W-What?”

Thrown off by Tsukishima’s sudden statement, he nearly dropped his weapons if it hadn’t been for another hand reaching out and catching the _tantos_ before they fell. His weapons slid into Tsukishima’s hands easily and the mortal took them, studying their hilt design. “They’re small and seem to fit you,” the other man went on. “I don’t see the need for you to use something large or flashy.” Amber eyes slid towards him. “These are what you had on you that one night, right?”

_The night I was going to try and recruit you?_ “O-Oh. Yeah.”

“The hilt designs are nice.”

“You have the same ones.”

“I know.”

Silence fell between them once more, but it wasn’t awkward. _Tsukki has a strange way to show his appreciation,_ Yamaguchi thought with a faint smile on his lips. He felt secretly proud, as if he were slowly learning the little quirks of Tsukishima’s speech and their true meaning. They weren’t hard, if only one was willing to look deeply into them.

Tsukishima handed the _tantos_ back and picked up his own weapons, studying their design and blade. “…I should thank them.”

Yamaguchi bit the inside of his cheek to hide a smile. “You should,” he agreed.

The slightly confused expression on the mortal’s face shouldn’t have been as amusing as the spirit thought it should be, but it was. “How?”

“Are you asking me how to tell someone thank you?”

The confused expression turned into one that vaguely resembled a pout. “No,” he said quickly. “I was just-“

The recruiter chuckled. “Asahi and Noya are always in the weaponry. Just walk in and say thank you. If they hear it from you, they’ll be really happy.”

Tsukishima nodded, sliding both of his weapons back into their sheaths. He used the strings attached to tie them tightly around his waist and Yamaguchi thought he looked a bit silly in modern clothes with _wakizashis_ hanging off of his body. He didn’t voice his thoughts, however.

“So.” Yamaguchi looked up at the other’s voice. “I have a question.”

“And hopefully I have an answer.”

“What do they mean when they say you have more fails than successes?”

\-----

They were walking.

After Tsukishima’s question that practically slammed into Yamaguchi like a wall, he awkwardly asked if they could simply _walk_ , just because the recruiter had a hard time talking about it.

Also because he didn’t think he could stand Tsukishima’s intense stare as he just explained his entire life’s failure standing still.

They followed the downward flow of the river, away from the center and deeper into the forest. Yamaguchi fiddled with his sleeves as they walked and from the corner of his eyes he could watch as Tsukishima fingered the hilts of his weapons absently. He wondered if he liked that they had matching designs.

“Yachi and I were the most recent to die, her older by just a few years,” he began his explanation after mentally preparing himself. “But she was lucky and was taken under Kiyoko’s mentorship immediately. Kiyoko was a hired assassin under the employ of an emperor so she’s pretty much desensitized to killing already and Yachi looks up to her. They’re both _fantastic_ recruiters but- but that’s not the point.” He spluttered off once he caught Tsukishima looking at him with one eyebrow raised.

“Um, the point is that I came from a family of doctors.”

“Doctors.”

Yamaguchi nodded, tugging insistently at his sleeves. “Renowned doctors. My father traveled everywhere to treat people and my mother worked in our town. My grandmother was practically in charge of the family’s health and I was my father’s apprentice.”

“You were…a doctor.”

He grinned slightly. “I know nowadays, you have to go through years of school just to become a doctor. But yeah, I was only twenty and was working underneath my father. I was pretty good too,” he said proudly.

He _had_ been a good doctor. Yes, he was an apprentice, but the Yamaguchi name and his good skills were enough to let people entrust their lives to him. He saved people alongside his father and healed others with his mother. He cared for the needy with his grandmother and even on his own, he treated every person with kindness and compassion.

Yamaguchi prided himself in being a _damn_ good doctor. If only he hadn’t died.

The memories of his death washed over him like a blanket of regret. It hadn’t been a quick death like Noya’s crash or Yachi’s murder. It hadn’t even been a terminal death like Asahi’s sickness. Yamaguchi had died because of a bout of depression and his pathetic lack of will.

_“Father-“ he said in a choked voice, holding the hand of his father, mentor and friend. He stared, trembling, at the weak figure before him. A figure that was past the point of saving._

_The country-famous Yamaguchi Hayato had been struck by an illness too swift to catch by their family, falling prey to the hands of disease easily. They had been shocked, Tadashi most of all, when they realized that there was nothing that could be done._

_His father slowly deteriorated before their eyes, growing weaker and fainter by each day until he was nothing more than a whisper in the bedroom._

_“Tadashi,” the older man whispered, clutching his son’s hand tightly. “Don’t forget what it is that we do.”_

_“But I can’t save_ you _!” he insisted, crying out. “Tell me what to do! What herbs I should get, what salves to make. What can I do for you?”_

_Hayato shook his head, looking at his distressed son with tears in his eyes. “You’ve done everything, Tadashi. Remember the old woman in Kyoto?” Tadashi bit his lip, the memory of the dying woman coming to mind. “Remember what I told you?”_

_It hurt to force the words out. “Sometimes…the best way to save them is to let them go,” he whispered._

_His father nodded. “If they’re hurting, the most you can do is to take their pain away as they reach the end. You’ve done enough, Tadashi. I’m not hurting.”_

_“But you’re dying,” he whimpered quietly. He could hear his mother shuffle outside of the door that separated the room and he gripped his father’s hand tighter._

_“Tadashi,” his father said, his voice nothing more but a wisp. “You’ll make a fantastic doctor.”_

_“You don’t know that,” he argued, but his words lacked conviction._

_Hayato shook his head. “When they close their eyes, they see black. But when they open them, they’ll see the stars.”_

_Tadashi was confused by the cryptic statement, brows furrowing. His father’s gaze had slid from his eyes downwards, resting no doubt on the freckles that lightly dusted his cheeks. He had inherited them from his father who had the faint smatter of dots himself, like delicate drops of paint._

_That night, his mother held him as he cried._

Tsukishima had stayed silent as Yamaguchi explained his past, not saying anything when he admitted that it must sound pathetic to die over your own father’s death. But his father had been everything to him and when a flu epidemic swept through their town, Yamaguchi, submerged in a pit of depression, succumbed to it without a fight.

He sighed quietly as he stepped over a large rock, unlike Tsukishima who simply walked around it. “It’s really pathetic, now that I think back to it. I died a really lame death. But I never really understood what he meant until I started working here at Karasuno.”

The undergrowth grew thicker around their feet and Yamaguchi steered them in directions that he was familiar with. “It’s really hard to change gears once you’ve lived your entire life a certain way. When I learned that Karasuno saved mortal’s souls, I was ecstatic. But when Daichi told me that in order to do that, I had to kill them, I was shocked.”

“That’s understandable,” Tsukishima mumbled as he ducked to avoid a low-hanging branch. “Saving lives is one thing but killing to save a life just sounds…wrong.”

“Exactly,” the spirit said, nodding his head. “It made no sense. It…it still doesn’t. But I’m working on it. It’s not like I can’t recruit. I know that I can. It’s just that it’s really hard to watch someone take their own life after I’ve devoted all of mine to trying to make sure they keep it. I freeze up when I see them and before I know it, they’ve already died and I’m just standing there, terrified.”

“It’s not your fault,” the other said and Yamaguchi looked over to catch Tsukishima glance over at him. “I think it’s entirely unfair that Daichi know about your mortal life yet still insist that you recruit. He should know better.”

The spirit exhaled deeply, a few hair strands floating away from his face. They had reached a small clearing and he threw himself down onto the ground, tired of walking and tired of these memories. But Tsukishima wanted to know and Yamaguchi, for some reason, wanted to tell him. He wanted to tell him everything.

“It’s not, really. He gave me numerous chances to quit. But…But I didn’t want to.” He ignored the curious gaze of the other man. “I wanted to _save_ people, Tsukki. And of all the places in the spirit world, this was the place that offered that. Sure, it didn’t exactly go with the way I used to do things but it’s still saving lives. But so far, I haven’t had that much success.”

Tsukishima was lying flat on his back, looking up at the sinking sun through the trees’ branches. “You’re stronger than you seem,” he said quietly.

Yamaguchi’s silence must’ve substituted as an answer.

“The fact that you lived that sort of life yet still have the mentality to dedicate yourself to this job shows that you’re strong.”

The spirit pulled his legs in closer to himself and pressed his face against his knees. It felt like high praise from the mortal, even though he said it as casually as if he was speaking about the weather. “Thank you, Tsukki.”

“I’m just stating the obvious.”

“I know. Thank you still, Tsukki.”

Things fell quiet between them again and Yamaguchi listened to the gentle swaying of the trees paired with the faint chirp of birds in the distance. If he paid hard enough attention, he could sense the insects in the ground beneath him and the presence of other spirits farther away.

This was nice, in a strange sort of way. He felt like they had successfully diverted Tsukishima’s attention from the panic of his situation to something else – something comfortable. In fact, Yamaguchi felt _very_ comfortable in Tsukishima’s presence, despite his barbed personality. It was almost as if the mortal was allowing him a glimpse into a special side of him, shown to a choice few.

_It’s a very tender side,_ he concluded.

“Tsukki?”

“Hm?” The mortal replied, sounding dangerously close to sleeping. Yamaguchi chanced a look over and his breath caught.

Tsukishima looked peaceful, basking in the last flickering rays of the sunlight with his eyes closed. Gone was the pinched expression and tenseness of his muscles. Instead, everything was smooth. His eyelids fluttered faintly with every push of the breeze and the long strands of grass brushed against his ear gently. Yamaguchi had the strongest urge to reach out and trace the prominent edge of his jaw, starting from the lump at his throat to the tip of his brow.

He quickly shook his head, diminishing any strange thought that dared come forth.

“Do you want to do something fun tonight? To make up for what happened today.”

Expecting a cynical reply and an even blunter refusal, he was surprised when Tsukishima simply turned his head in his direction and cracked open a single amber eye, effectively freezing Yamaguchi to the spot. The colour was so pure, framed by contrasting, light lashes. “What did you have in mind?”

The recruiter had to mentally kick himself to remember to keep talking, cracking a smile. “There’s a festival in Yokohama tonight. It’ll be really fun and everyone in Karasuno is going to go. We’d like it if you came with us.”

Tsukishima opened both of his eyes and they looked at each other quietly. Yamaguchi wondered if the mortal was just as mesmerized with his eyes as he was with Tsukishima’s. There was no malice in those irises, no hidden intention or question. The mortal was simply gazing, his glasses making his eyes look even bigger.

Something pulsed inside of him and Yamaguchi nearly broke eye contact when he realized that it was the bond. It was as if something was pressing gently up against the wall, almost in a question. It was Tsukishima.

But did he know what he was doing? Did either of them?

This wasn’t part of their agreement but neither of them said a single thing. Instead, the feeling continued to throb against his ribcage insistently. Yamaguchi gave it time, allowing Tsukishima to choose what he truly wanted to do and after what seemed like hours of waiting, the pulse only grew stronger.

_He wants this._

_I want this._

Braving the situation, he slowly opened up the connection, allowing the feeling of appreciation to slide into his chest, filling him up until he felt so warm – warm enough to have stepped into a fire.

Their locked eyes seemed to grow in intensity and Yamaguchi felt his breath start to quicken. These were _Tsukishima’s_ emotions. Emotions that he was _willingly_ allowing Yamaguchi to feel. Yes, the feelings he was sharing was an odd mix of wariness and admiration and they were barely there, but it was enough for Yamaguchi. Tsukishima was _accepting_ this, albeit slowly.

Trying to sort out the mortal’s feelings was like stepping into a pond and trying to point at specific fish before they darted away. The other man felt scared and confused, but there was a hint of trust that threw Yamaguchi’s morale to high levels. There were no verbalized thoughts like that one time in Ennoshita’s office, but Yamaguchi could understand the ‘thank you’ that was thoroughly mixed in with the rest of Tsukishima’s feelings.

Unsure of what to do in return, he sent back a single emotion of pure happiness. Yamaguchi knew it was received when Tsukishima’s eyes grew even wider, his mouth opening slightly as a heavy breath escaped his lips.

He didn’t notice either of them had moved until Tsukishima’s fingers slid around his wrist, right where his bond mark was. A jolt of energy so strong spiked through him, causing them both to gasp.

They jerked away from each other quickly, as if burned. It almost felt like it, honestly. Confusion filled both of their faces when they blinked and realized that they were mere inches apart. _What? When did I move? When did_ he _move?_

The bond seemed to have slid shut immediately after that but the lingering feelings of warmth still poked and prodded Yamaguchi’s insides, leaving him feeling ticklish. He was about to ask Tsukishima what he felt when the mortal spoke first.

“Fine,” Tsukishima said quickly, sounding a bit flustered and avoiding Yamaguchi’s eyes. _His cheeks_ , Yamaguchi thought in surprise. _So red._ “I’ll go. But what do I do about this?” He gestured at his body and it took a moment for the spirit to realize what he was talking about.

“Oh. Right. I have another thing for you back at the Center.”

“What is it?”

“Jewelry!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really excited! Because guess what's next??
> 
> ~~Yokohamaaaaa~~
> 
> Ta!  
> Juni~


	7. Yokohama Street

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _little happy dance_  
>  This is probably my favourite chapter by far. I finished it in two days because I was so excited to write it! I really hope you enjoy it as well!!
> 
> Oh yes...It's also the longest chapter of them all, aha. ^^' They're not all going to be this long but when I was given the opportunity to write out this entire festival...well, the length just _happened_.

 

Tsukishima realized far too late that he should’ve heeded Yamaguchi’s advice about Suga from the get-go. It was only when he was completely out of breath and lying on his back on the ground staring up at the overly-cheerful face of the Karasuno swordsmaster did he realize that he horribly underestimated the spirit.

Suga was _ruthless_ and it had only been about fifteen minutes.

“Stand up, Tsukishima!” The spirit said, nudging his limp leg with a foot. The mortal shifted his gaze to watch Suga carefully wrap the strong leather rope of his _kyoketsu shoge_ around his arm.

It looked like a complicated weapon, a blade attached to a long rope that was attached to a heavy circular handle at the end. At first, Tsukishima thought that there was no way the swordsmaster could wield the weapon fast enough especially since Suga’s ‘style’ was to start off with the rope wrapped around his arm. But the mortal was swiftly proven wrong when in just under a few seconds, not only was he disarmed of _both_ of his _wakizashis_ but Suga was lazily swinging his weapon in circles to the side.

“This is ridiculous,” Tsukishima grunted, pulling himself to his feet. Everything about Suga’s weapon was dangerous. His jeans had various cuts from the blade, his ass felt sore after the rope wrapped around his ankles multiple times to trip him and even the circular handle left a welt on his arm after repeated whacking. “You’re going to kill me.”

Suga laughed and it sounded like a windchime. Tsukishima grimaced even more. _How is this guy even real?_ “I wouldn’t do that to you. I’m just making sure you learn.”

Tsukishima hefted both of his weapons in his hands, frowning down at them. He didn’t tell Yamaguchi, but the weapons looked just like the spirits themselves. Wispy, blue and as if they’d fall right through his hands if he tried to grip them. It was messing with his mind and Suga wasn’t helping.

“Shouldn’t we start with something simple? You know, like parring?”

“You know how to do that already. See? Block!”

The air flickered in front of him and suddenly Suga was in his face, the blade of his weapon lashing out. Tsukishima shouted and stepped back, throwing up his _wakizashi_ on reflex. The long blade deflected Suga’s, the smaller weapon flying off towards the side. Suga looked pleased.

“What the hell was that?! Don’t aim for my face!”

But the swordsmaster ignored him easily as he tugged back his weapon. “That was good! Just fix your footing so that when you step back, your knee is bent a little bit. It helps with balance and making sure you don’t fall backwards.”

Part of Tsukishima wanted to retort but another part of him decided that it was better to simply take Suga’s advice lest he wanted to make a fool of himself again. He bent his leg accordingly.

“Yes, like that. Now when it comes to _wakizashis_ , they act as mini swords. Having two is an advantage. Hold one close to your body as a shield and then the other one is held outwards to attack.” Suga adjusted his grip and stance, tilting the blade to the correctness.

The mortal tried his best to hold up the position, forcing his arms to comply. In retrospect, it would be an interesting memory. It was as if he were a character from a fantasy book, training under the mentorship of a famous swordsmaster. He’d pretend to have magic, which is why his blades seemed to blaze a vibrant blue and with every slash at the air, it left a lingering trail of colour.

Following Suga’s orders, he copied the attacking pattern slowly, entranced by the wisps that followed every swing of the blade.

“Um, Suga-san?” he mumbled in hesitant question, making an arc with his arm. The swordsmaster took his eyes off the weapon.

“Yes?”

“Were you always a swordsmaster?”

There was a beat, before “Yes.”

Tsukishima glanced over at him, noting the thoughtful expression on Suga’s face. It almost seemed like the man was looking through him. “Who did you train with?”

“My father. Like Yamaguchi, my father was my mentor. He taught me how to fight and teach. I owe all of the techniques I’m teaching you now to him.” Suga smiled warmly, fingering the leather that surrounded his forearm. Tsukishima looked away, lowering his weapon. The sun was finally starting to dip past the trees and he could hear various sounds coming from inside the Center. The festival was coming up.

“He told me why he’s having trouble at recruiting.”

Suga hummed. “Did he? It’s his largest insecurity, but he deals with it very well.”

The mortal dipped the tip of the _wakizashi_ into the dirt beneath him. He was unsure of what to say. Suga gave him the impression that he could say anything, yet it wasn’t in Tsukishima’s nature to simply just do that. He had never really spoken to the other head of Karasuno, the right-hand man of Daichi. Suga reminded him of a campfire. It came off as warm and inviting yet there were still dangerous aspects to it.

“I think that should be enough for today.” Tsukishima looked up at the other’s words. Suga was peering at him with what looked like an understanding expression. _What can he even understand?_ “You’ve had a lot happen to you today and I wouldn’t want you to be too sore that you can’t enjoy the festival tonight.”

 _Ah. Right. Dragon Night._ After Yamaguchi had dropped him off with Suga, exclaiming that Tsukishima was ready to train for a little bit (he really wasn’t), the spirit had ran off in excitement. Tsukishima had still yet to receive this ‘jewelry’ the recruiter was talking about.

“Er, what do I do tonight?”

Suga tilted his head. “What do you mean, ‘what do you do’? It’s a festival. Don’t they still have festivals nowadays?”

They did and they didn’t. Nowadays, street celebrations weren’t as common as the olden days and while Tsukishima had definitely gone to parties, he had never actually been to a _festival_. He wasn’t nervous about the festival part, though. It was mainly the fact that he was very much still a mortal and that apparently, the entirety of the spiritual world knew about his existence.

Yamaguchi _still_ hadn’t told him how they were going to deal with that issue.

“We do,” he mumbled, busying himself with sliding his weapons back into the sheathes at his sides. “They just-“

“Ohhh, you’re wondering about your mortality problem.” Tsukishima looked up to see Suga actually slapping his forehead with an expression of ‘duh.’ “Don’t worry about that, Yamaguchi has it covered.”

“He said that earlier; I don’t know what he means.”

The swordsmaster gave him a reassuring smile. “It means that you don’t have to worry about it, Tsukishima. You’ll be able to enjoy the festival like the rest of us just fine.”

\--------

“Tsukki!”

A voice called out for him just as Tsukishima stepped back into the Center, sliding off his shoes. He looked up to see a familiar recruiter bounding towards him, a large smile splitting his face.

After their little talk in the woods, he felt like something had shifted between them. Before, Yamaguchi had always looked at him with an expression of fascination and curiosity. It wasn’t that that was gone, per say, but now Tsukishima felt like he was being looked at with more comfortability than before. He would also admit that it went both ways. While Suga was friendly enough, seeing Yamaguchi made him feel strangely…relaxed.

He blamed it on his weakness in the clearing, when he succumbed to the temptation to try their bond. Never having initiated it before, the urge to reach out and just _feel_ sounded too interesting to pass up.

What shocked him the most was how hesitant the spirit was. There was an obvious sense of caution when he reached out, almost as if Yamaguchi was giving him a chance to turn back. But he pushed and Yamaguchi caved and here they were. Comfortable.

Scarily comfortable.

Comfortable enough that when the spirit stepped on the hem of his own kimono and did a flying dive forward, Tsukishima’s immediate reaction was to open his arms and allow the smaller body to collide with his own with a small ‘oof.’

“Tch, be careful,” he scolded lightly, ignoring how the small, uncontrollable piece of Yamaguchi’s hair tickled his nose. The recruiter laughed into his chest and Tsukishima pressed his lips into a thin line.

“Sorry, Tsukki!” Yamaguchi pulled away, his fall not dampening his mood. “I’m just so excited! Asahi and Noya finally perfected your shroud!”

“My…what?”

The spirit flailed a bit, flushing. “Oh, god that’s right, I haven’t even told you yet.”

 _Again with the lack of proper communication,_ Tsukishima thought absently, but he didn’t dwell on the negative thoughts. Yamaguchi looked far too excited to focus on anything else.

Digging into his kimono, the freckled spirit pulled out a closed fist and grinned up at Tsukishima happily. In return, he looked at the fist warily. “Is this the jewelry?”

“Yes, but don’t worry. It’s not girly or anything.”

“Right.”

Yamaguchi scratched at his cheek. “Um, Tsukki, could you close your eyes?”

If anyone else had asked Tsukishima to do that, namely Kuroo, he would’ve denied immediately. But the earnest look in Yamaguchi’s eyes and the way he fidgeted in anticipation… He hesitated for only a split second before he slid his eyes shut. “If you’re going to do something shady…”

“Just trust me, Tsukki.”

Oddly enough, Tsukishima did.

His hand was taken from his side, Yamaguchi’s fingers sliding over his wrist. It was just like earlier when the spirit tried to help him with his grip on the _wakizashi_. As much as he wanted to deny that it was his fault he dropped the weapon, he couldn’t help but admit the fact that though Yamaguchi’s fingers felt disgusting at first, they still touched him gently.

A strap was being tied around his wrist and he felt the cool texture of a rock pressing against his skin. He gasped openly when Yamaguchi’s cold hands suddenly felt warm.

Warm like a normal person’s hand.

Warm like…

“Tsukki? Open your eyes and tell me what you see.”

He wasn’t nervous. Of course he wasn’t. Tsukishima _definitely_ wasn’t nervous about what he was going to see once he opened his eyes. It wasn’t like the difference in texture of Yamaguchi’s fingers were making him shake out of shock or anything.

Fingertips squeezed down on his wrist lightly. “Tsukki…?” came the slightly nervous voice.

When he opened his eyes, he saw the _last thing_ he expected to see.

Yamaguchi looked _completely normal_. Gone were the blue wisps around him or his faint-outline form. Instead, he looked healthy and fresh, as if he were still a human and was staring up at Tsukishima with concern in his eyes. His hair was so brown and his eyes were so large and his skin, _his skin_ , was so warm that Tsukishima suddenly felt dizzy. Yamaguchi had _so many fucking freckles._

He stumbled back in shock, slamming against the wall behind him as he openly gaped at the spirit in front of him. Yamaguchi shrieked. “T-Tsukki! Be careful! What do you see? Are you okay? Are you dead?”

“What the hell do you mean by that?” Tsukishima retorted harshly, his gaze still roving over Yamaguchi’s face, hungrily taking up every single detail. “And what the fuck is this? You look completely normal.”

“I-I, what?” Yamaguchi blinked in surprise, stilling. “I look normal?”

“Yeah,” Tsukishima gestured at the spirit vaguely. “You look- You look _fine_. You look like me.”

Brown eyes – they were _so brown –_ seemed to widen and Yamaguchi raised his hands, looking down at his palms. “You… We don’t look like ghosts anymore?”

“No. No you don’t. And neither does this place and, holy shit, neither do my weapons.” Tsukishima grabbed for his _wakizashi_ and unsheathed one, staring at the sleek blade. Now it looked like completely normal, as if something straight from a history textbook. “What the heck is this?”

“A shroud!” Yamaguchi said excitedly, grabbing for Tsukishima’s other wrist and holding it up. “It’s a mortality shroud so now you don’t look like a mortal to other spirits. And apparently, we look like mortals to you! Wow, that’s fantastic.”

Tsukishima stared at the bracelet that adorned his wrist. It was simple and made of leather with a small stone set in the middle. It had stars that seemed to glimmer whenever he turned his wrist. _This is crazy,_ he thought, tuning out Yamaguchi as he babbled on about the bracelet and who made it. _This is absolutely insane._

“So you’re saying that no one will know I’m mortal at the festival tonight?” He asked, effectively cutting off Yamaguchi mid-sentence.

The spirit nodded happily. “Yep! Asahi and Noya have been working on perfecting that for a few days now. It’s the same reaping fluid that our weapons are dipped in but it doesn’t kill you. Instead, it makes you look like a spirit as long as you’re wearing that.”

Nodding as if he completely understood that, he fingered the bracelet lightly. “Thank you,” he said quietly.

He heard Yamaguchi chuckle softly. “Thank Yachi and everyone else. She made me a cuff to cover my mark and made that. All I did was ask them.” The spirit fingered his own ‘jewelry’, a piece of leather wrapping around his wrist. It had the image of a crescent moon burned into the surface. Kei tried not to ask.

“But you asked them.”

The recruiter looked a bit surprised. “I mean, well, of course. I wanted you to come to Yokohama and you wouldn’t have been able to if you didn’t have something like this.” He tugged the edges of his sleeves with a faint smile. “I don’t know, it’s the least I could do.”

 _You’ve done enough and more,_ Tsukishima wanted to say, but the words failed him. “Thanks,” he ended up saying again.

“You’re welcome, Tsukki!”

He quietly studied Yamaguchi. Tsukishima thought that with time, he’d be able to get used to the odd appearance of the spirits and Karasuno as a whole. The blue wisps were staring to become a normal part of this whole place but now that they were gone, Tsukishima felt like he was stepping into another world.

It wasn’t that Yamaguchi looked any different. Everything about him just seemed more vibrant. His eyes seemed to brighten whenever he smiled and when he flushed, the redness that stained his cheeks looked a thousand times more pronounced. Tsukishima was mesmerized.

“Unless you two plan on talking anytime soon, I’m going to have to ask you to find a room and stop blocking the hallway.”

Tsukishima practically jumped when another voice filled the air. He had been so busy trying to count the individual freckles on Yamaguchi’s cheeks that he didn’t even notice when Ennoshita had walked over. Even _he_ looked normal, and the fierceness of his single raised brow made Tsukishima feel uncomfortable.

“What’s this? You don’t look like a mortal.”

Yamaguchi cut in and Tsukishima interestingly noticed a faint flush on his cheeks. “Yes! The mortality shroud worked!”

Ennoshita seemed to analyze Tsukishima completely, his eyes doing a full sweep from top to bottom. “Interesting, that’s really good. And here I was, worried about the festival tonight.” Ennoshita patted Yamaguchi’s shoulder lightly. “Good problem solving.”

“Thank you!”

“But I’m serious. I’m trying to get to Daichi’s office so…excuse me.”

They quickly moved aside so that the spirit could walk on and as he passed Tsukishima, the older man shot him a quick glance.

 _What?_ He thought irritably, as Ennoshita went on. The two of them watched him turn the corner before he looked at Yamaguchi. “Why was he worried?”

“Tsukki, don’t act dumb. We were all worried,” Yamaguchi easily said, as if it was just common knowledge. “We wanted to make sure you could even _go_ to the festival.”

“Oh. I see.”

“Yup!” Yamaguchi’s eyes flickered downwards, analyzing him almost the same way Ennoshita did. Tsukishima felt oddly exposed. “Actually…You should change.”

\--------

“Here! Wear this!”

Clothes were shoved into Tsukishima’s arms and he stared down at the bundle that Saeko had given him. Yamaguchi had dragged him over to the older Tanaka sibling, claiming that of everyone at the Center, Saeko was the person to go to for fashion. Tsukishima wanted to ask exactly _what_ fashion, seeing as they all just wore kimonos, but apparently ‘there’s a lot of fashion sense that go into kimonos!’

“Right now?”

“Seeing as that we’re all leaving in like, fifteen minutes, yes!” Saeko shoved him towards the large closet in Karasuno’s ‘clothes room.’ “Hurry up!”

Tsukishima tried to turn his head to look at Yamaguchi and send a silent plea for help but the spirit was simply leaning against the doorframe, an amused smile on his face. “Come on, Tsukki,” he said with a small laugh. “You don’t want to be the one to hold us up, do you?”

Muttering incoherently about the situation as a whole, he stumbled into the closet and slid the door shut behind him. Luckily, various lamps were lit in the corners or else he would’ve been changing in darkness.

“What is this…” he mumbled as he unfolded the mass of cloth. The kimono fell open, the colour a pure jet black. At the bottom, branches grew outwards, peppered with tiny orange blossoms. They faded away the farther up the kimono went and if it weren’t for the style, Tsukishima could’ve sworn that this was a woman’s kimono because of the design. Cursing his life, he quickly changed.

As he checked himself in the mirror tucked away in the corner, he tugged awkwardly at the collar area. His neck and chest were almost completely exposed because the v of the outfit dipped outrageously low. Grunting, he tightened the sash at his waist.

A bang on the closet door made him jump. “TSUKISHIMA ARE YOU DONE?” Saeko’s voice tore at his ears.

“Yes.”

“Then hurry up and come out! Daichi’s calling for us!”

Adjusting the bracelet at his wrist, he stepped out of the closet awkwardly, avoiding the two gazes that had zeroed in on him the moment he came out. Saeko whistled appreciatively. “Wow, Tsukishima, you look good in traditional clothes.” He didn’t bother to give her a reply.

Instead, he chanced a glance at Yamaguchi who had yet to stay anything. The spirit was quiet, eyes glued onto Tsukishima with what looked like shock. If this was about his neck, then it wasn’t his fault. It was Saeko’s, for choosing such a low kimono. Self-conscious, he tugged the collar a bit closer.

“Let’s go,” he insisted, wanting to get out of this room.

Yamaguchi’s eyes flickered momentarily up towards his but Tsukishima was too busy fighting the heat rising in his cheeks at the attention to notice the hungry way the spirit seemed to devour the sight of his collar bones. “Yeah, let’s.” He didn’t notice the hoarseness of the spirit’s voice either.

“Come on, come on,” Saeko groaned, grabbing Tsukishima’s arm and pulling him forward, pushing Yamaguchi out of the room as well. “We’re _so late_. Why do men take forever to change?! Seriously!”

By the time they ran into the entrance way, Suga was counting heads and Daichi was ushering everyone outside of the door.

“There you three are,” the swordsmaster said with a sigh and Tsukishima was struck with the sudden feeling that Suga was the type of ‘mother’ that no child would ever want to cross. “Come on, the trolley’s already been standing idle for a while.”

“This one took forever,” Saeko explained, smacking the back of the mortal’s head as she breezed through the doorway.

Before he and Yamaguchi could walk out, however, Daichi and Suga stepped in front of them. “You two,” the chief started off. Tsukishima still remembered their conversation earlier that day when he stormed into the center with anger fueling his actions. Daichi and Suga had tried to get him to calm down and realize that with them around there was no need to worry about spectres, but he had been furious at just the situation. His friends had been put in danger and while Daichi apologized for that, there was nothing anyone could do about it.

Harsh words had been exchanged and guiltily, Tsukishima lowered his head. “I apologize for earlier, Daichi-“

“It’s fine, Tsukishima,” the chief said, shaking his head. “All is forgiven. You had the right to be angry and I’m still sorry that I don’t have much to offer you.” Tsukishima nodded silently. “But I just wanted to see for myself that the shroud is working.” A smile graced the chief’s face. “Take this time tonight to relax, alright? I know you’re both worried about the rumours surrounding Yamaguchi but things like that are easily forgotten during a festival. The Edgesiders don’t come to these sort of things either so no one will know your face.”

The reassurances that Daichi gave him settled within Tsukishima’s chest comfortably. The thousands of questions that had been buzzing in his mind since earlier that day had been quelled and answered.

“Thank you.”

Suga spoke to Yamaguchi, a playful smile on his lips. “Do you have an itinerary for tonight? Don’t lose him in the crowd.”

Yamaguchi chuckled and rubbed at his neck. “Not really, and I won’t.”

“Alright. Well, let’s go then!”

Surprisingly, all of them fit onto the trolley’s tight space. Even the station and the vehicle lacked their usual blue wisp and Tsukishima could see now that the trolley was coloured a faded red with bits of gold and blue. It amazed him how ‘normal’ these things looked, like he’d be able to find them if he went to any historical place in the current Japan.

 _I’m looking through the eyes of a spirit,_ he thought as he glanced around the trolley. He and Yamaguchi were standing close together in the middle, all the seats having been stolen by others. From across the trolley, Nishinoya and Asahi had caught his eye, looking at him expectantly. He bowed his head, mouthing a genuine ‘thank you.’ Nishinoya pumped a fist into the air in celebration.

Excited chatter filled the trolley and as they whizzed through various parts of the spirit world that Tsukishima had yet to discover, he looked down at Yamaguchi. “So all of this happens in one street?”

“Mhm,” the spirit was decidedly looking away from him and out the window at the blurring colours of the forest. “It sounds tight but… well, it kind of is. Yokohama’s big but there’s still a lot of spirits that come. Every festival is huge.”

“Oh, I see.” Tsukishima stared at the mop of brown hair beneath him with furrowed brows. They weren’t _that_ crowded. It wasn’t like Yamaguchi looking up would have them centimeters apart or anything. He settled on asking more questions. “What’s special about this one?”

Yamaguchi bit his bottom lip, thinking. “Um… Technically the Starlight Parade near the end of the festival but there’s also the Dragon Dance. That one happens somewhere in the middle.”

“Dragon Dance?”

Finally, the freckled spirit looked up at him with amusement in his eyes but the brown irises quickly slid down and back towards the window. Inwardly, Tsukishima huffed. _It’s the kimono. I look ridiculous._ “Yes. It’s tradition, really. You’ll see when we get there.”

It was obvious that whatever Tsukishima asked, Yamaguchi would give him the basic explanation of whatever it was and then quiet down. Troubled and a little miffed at his own inability to persuade Yamaguchi to look over, Tsukishima watched the window silently until a new platform slid into view.

Yokohama Station was _massive_. Unlike Karasuno’s miniscule platform or even Moonlight Station’s seemingly abandoned building, the place marking the entrance to Yokohama Street was impressive. Hundreds of spirits were milling about, all dressed in kimonos and shouting greetings to fellow spirits.

When Karasuno stepped off the trolley and into the throng of people, anxiety gripped Tsukishima’s chest as he prayed to any and all things that the shroud truly worked. But no one gave him a second glance and the only looks in his direction were other spirits greeting recruiters that they knew.

Jostled from side to side as he tried to follow Daichi’s lead, he almost startled when he felt a warm hand circle his wrist. He looked down to see Yamaguchi looking straight ahead next to him, but with a shy smile on his face. The hand around his wrist tugged gently and without question, he followed.

 _This is incredible_ , Tsukishima thought as he looked around, trying not to look like a stunned tourist. _A whole other world right next to my apartment and no one knows about it._

Trusting Yamaguchi to guide him to where they needed to go, Tsukishima studied the place around him. Yokohama Station did not seem modern in the slightest despite its size. The entire place was made of wood and seemed to vibrate with the amount of noise the spirits inside it were making. There were no tellers selling tickets seeing as the trolleys seemed to sense whenever it was needed and a majority of the spirits were flowing towards the exit doors like they were rather than towards the loading docks.

“Tsukki?”

He looked to see Yamaguchi trying to get his attention. “Yeah? I was distracted.”

“I know,” the spirit said in amusement. “Look.” They were at the doors, Daichi holding them open as spirits from Karasuno spilled out into the wide street. “Welcome to Yokohama Street!”

His first few steps almost faded into a complete stop if Yamaguchi hadn’t pulled him forward to avoid getting trampled over by other spirits. If the station had been enough to cause him to gape in shock, the actual street froze him.

It was wider than any street in current-day Japan and instead of cars, it was packed with people. Shops and restaurants were crammed tight against each other on either side of the street and as Tsukishima looked around, he realized that there were smaller streets that branched off the main one. Lanterns were strung up across buildings and fires blazed cheerfully, lighting up the evening sky. Music played from every corner and shouts mingled with cheers.

Vendors had flung open their shop doors, calling out for passersby to check out their stock. Smells wafted out of restaurant doors that left Tsukishima nearly drooling. If it hadn’t been for Yamaguchi’s guiding grip on his wrist, he was sure that he would’ve left the group within the first few seconds.

The immense number of people in the street didn’t bother him once Tsukishima saw the ecstatic expressions on the spirits’ faces. Many people looked simply cheerful while others were crashing into one another with powerful hugs. The whole vibe of the street felt buoyant and elated and Tsukishima couldn’t help but bite down a small grin as he watched a small boy careen into his mother with a balloon in his hand.

When the hand on his wrist suddenly disappeared, he looked over to see Yamaguchi smiling brightly at him. They had stopped in front of a restaurant with ‘Sakanoshita’ written on the sign in front. “Daichi’s talking,” Yamaguchi hummed and Tsukishima was struck with the sense that he was back in elementary school again.

“Alright!” The chief of the Center said, clasping his hands. The rest of the Karasuno members were surrounding him, everyone fidgeting excitedly. Even Suga looked a bit anxious, eyes darting to various booths on the street. “You know the drill. Don’t cause a ruckus and make sure you get back before dawn. Be safe!”

The group cheered and immediately dispersed, bodies flying to join the mob of people. Tsukishima blinked and looked at Yamaguchi who was leading him towards the doors of the restaurant. “That’s it?”

“Yeah,” the spirit laughed. “Daichi knows that it’s better to not actually set rules. He just likes reminding us to wear the Karasuno name proudly and whatnot.”

“Where are we going?” The mortal asked curiously as they entered the restaurant. It was brimming with people and packed from wall to wall. Delicious aromas filled the air and Tsukishima realized that despite the amount of times he had come to the spirit world, he had yet to try any of their food. _Does it taste like live-people food?_

Yamaguchi waved a hand. “This is my favourite restaurant. It’s got the best food here out of the entire street and Daichi’s friends with the owner! Well, he’s friends with _all_ of us, but Daichi knew him first.”

“Sounds biased,” Tsukishima commented, though his statement held no malice. He had realized he was starving and that with the entire days’ worth of events, the least he deserved was some good food. “What’s good to eat here?”

“Oh god, everything. Ukai-san!” A man who was carrying several platters of food in his hands stopped in the middle of the restaurant at the call of his name. At the sight of Yamaguchi, he grinned happily and lifted his chin in greeting.

“Oi! Yamaguchi, nice to see you! Happy Dragon Night!”

“Happy Dragon Night! You look busy, so I’ll let you be!”

The shop owner shot him a grateful smile, nodding once. “Just ask Rize for anything you guys want up at the front.” The man’s eyes flickered to Tsukishima and there was a moment of suspicion that flashed in his eyes before he was also gifted a smile. “Happy Dragon Night, Yamaguchi’s friend.”

Tsukishima dipped his head slightly. “Happy Dragon Night.”

Yamaguchi was already by the kitchen door, talking animatedly to a young woman who looked just as happy to see him. Tsukishima weaved his way through the tables. “Thank you, Rize!” The worker had handed the recruiter a cup and straw, green liquid sloshing inside.

“What is that?” Tsukishima asked, unable to hide the curiosity in his voice.

“My favourite drink,” Yamaguchi hummed, taking a large sip and sighing happily. “Do you want to taste it?”

The mortal stared at the cup in his hands, trying not to overanalyze the situation. “What does it taste like?”

“Um, it’s an acquired taste so I can’t exactly describe it.”

Tsukishima took a sip before promptly gagging, shoving the cup back into Yamaguchi’s hands. Surprisingly, the spirit didn’t look that offended. “What the hell- that tastes awful. What even is that?” He watched in sick awe as Yamaguchi proceeded to take another long sip from the cup.

“I told you, it’s acquired. It’s called roasted Japanese green milk tea. Some millennials brought it over when they died.”

“And that’s your _favourite_?”

Yamaguchi pouted slightly. “Do you have a problem with that?”

 _He’s something else_ , Tsukishima thought mildly as he looked at the spirit who seemed determined to defend his favourite drink to the ends of the earth. “No,” he acquiesced.

“Yamaguchi!” Rize’s head popped out of the kitchen door once more, a bag in her hands. “Here’s your food!”

The recruiter bounded over to take the bag, returning to Tsukishima with the happy grin returned. “Let’s go!”

“We’re not eating here?”

Yamaguchi shook his head. “There’s too much too show you and this place doesn’t clear out easy. I’m just lucky I’m a regular customer that all the employees know me.”

“Huh.” Tsukishima nodded, allowing the smaller man to lead him back outside. The sun had successfully fallen past the horizon and the festival was in full swing. Lanterns blazed and music roared and the drums pounded with the beat of Tsukishima’s own heart. A dumpling stick was handed to him and he took it without question.

“Before I start dragging you everywhere, is there anything particular you want to see?” Yamaguchi looked at him with an open expression.

 _Everything. Show me everything here._ “No,” Tsukishima ended up saying. “Do whatever you want to do.”

The answer seemed to satisfy Yamaguchi. “Good. Follow me.”

As they walked the street and ate their food, Tsukishima noted with interest that it tasted the exact same as food from the mortal world. But did it have calories? Was the taste and the feel of his full stomach just a delusion? There were so many questions that he doubted could be answered.

Though it was autumn and the trees were swaying in the breeze, Tsukishima didn’t feel cold in the slightest. Perhaps it was all the flames and body heat that surrounded him but he felt warm from the inside out. Perhaps it was watching Yamaguchi animatedly explain every single shop and restaurant that they passed on their way to their destination.

Tsukishima carefully watched the man next to him, chattering away. Yamaguchi seemed to thrive off the excitement of the festival; he was unlike the nervous and wary spirit he had first met. The light bouncing around the street made his kimono seem to shimmer and when Tsukishima looked down, he realized that stars dotted the bottom of the spirit’s clothes. A slight shift in his gaze took him to the scatter of stars on his own bracelet.

Their arms brushed and if Tsukishima allowed Yamaguchi’s cuffed, bonded wrist to touch his own more times than normal, he’d blame it on the jostling of other people in the street.

 _There’s stars everywhere,_ he realized once they had passed under a particularly large lantern that threw rays of light everywhere. Though the stars faded away on Yamaguchi’s kimono, they came back full force on the spirit’s cheeks. Once again, Tsukishima found himself lost in a helpless game of finding constellations.

“-Tsukki?”

He startled at the loud mention of his name, eyes widening when Yamaguchi’s face was right in front of him. Warm hands were cupping his cheeks and he felt frozen to the spot.

“W-What?” _Soft. Warm. His hands are warm. They’re so soft and warm._ His thoughts were a jumbled mess.

Yamaguchi had concern in his eyes and Tsukishima wanted to make it disappear. “You completely zoned out and were staring. I wanted to make sure you’re not sick. You’re kind of warm, though. Are you okay?”

Tsukishima Kei was most decidedly _not_ okay, not with the way Yamaguchi was cradling his head in his hands like it was made of glass. His first instinct was to push him away and claim that he was alright, but Yamaguchi looked so worried and his hands were so fucking _warm_ and all Tsukishima could do was stare. Stare into those large brown eyes and pray to god that he didn’t do anything stupid.

“I’m fine,” he forced out, disappointment flaring in his chest once Yamaguchi nodded and pulled his hands away. “It’s just…lots of people,” he said lamely.

“Oh, I understand,” the spirit said, nodding vehemently. _No, no you don’t understand. Put your hands back and maybe you will._ “My first festival was crazy. Hinata puked all over Tanaka and I ended up fainting in the bathroom.” Torn between asking how those two events even related and simply just leaving it be, his answer was decided for him when Yamaguchi pointed at a building. “We’re here, though!”

It was a tiny shop that was dwarfed by the two structures next to it. It had no sign but with one look through the window, he realized what kind of shop it was. _Lanterns_ , Tsukishima noted.

“You wait here, though, Tsukki.”

“Wait, what?”

He looked down to see Yamaguchi looking at him with a determined expression. “I’m getting lanterns but I’m going to buy yours.”

“Um. Sure. Alright.” Why the spirit was so adamant on buying him a lantern was beyond him but he wasn’t going to fight it. It was just a lantern anyway.

As Yamaguchi disappeared into the shop, Tsukishima turned back to the street. People were still milling about and there were small street performances everywhere he looked. What was more surprising, however, was the number of animals that ran around the feet of spirits.

He had noticed it when he got onto the street but didn’t think much on it, brushing it off as a byproduct of being in a forest. Rabbits scurried between legs and squirrels hopped shoulders. Tsukishima swore he even saw a raccoon, somewhere. But when he saw a large deer walk normally through the throng of people with no care in the world, Tsukishima realized with increasing concern that there were actually _a lot_ of animals on the street.

Seriously, there was a deer. People were moving aside _for_ the deer.

And, shit, the deer was walking straight at _him_.

In less than a few seconds, he was standing face to face with a deer whose eerily calm eyes were regarding him with curiosity.

“Um,” he said awkwardly, eyes darting around for help, but no one was even sparing him a second glance. _Does anyone else not see this?! It’s a deer! In my face?! Why is it even here?!_

Was he supposed to touch it? Pat it or something? Give it food? He was still holding the bag with their leftover food from Sakanoshita. Could deer eat human food?

His thought process was cut short when he heard a loud snort and a few shouts in the distance. Jerking his head in the direction of the sound, he saw with growing terror another animal bounding straight for them, ignoring the people that were jumping out of its way.

Unlike the deer in front of him, however, this one was a full out _stag_.

With antlers bared and desperation sounding in the animal’s snorts, the stag sprinted towards Tsukishima with the astounding speed. When it leaped over the heads of various other spirits, Tsukishima’s life flashed before his eyes. _I’m not going to die by spirit essence. I’m going to die by spirit stag._

But instead of slamming into the mortal and carving out his heart with its antlers, the stag seemed to shimmer in the air mid-leap and it barreled into the side of the deer, both creatures letting out a cry. Tsukishima had thrown himself back to avoid the impact but was staring in horror as a _human_ was now clutching the neck of the deer. The stag was nowhere to be seen.

“AHHHH,” the spirit wailed, scrambling to make sure it was seated properly on the deer’s back. “JUJU YOU CAN’T RUN AWAY LIKE THAT!”

 _What…the living fuck._ The spirit now atop the disgruntled-looking deer was all limbs and height. He looked just a few inches taller than Tsukishima. With a shock of silver hair and geen eyes that were too wide and too excited, Tsukishima felt the urge to run and leave the strange person and his deer alone.

“I’m sorry!” The stag-turned-spirit said, looking at Tsukishima with genuine apology in his eyes. “Juju has a tendency of wandering off and unfortunately she’s the only mature one that I can bring to the festivals so I’m stuck with her.” The deer responded by bucking slightly.

“I- It’s fine?” Tsukishima said, bewilderment colouring his tone. Juju the deer continued to calmly study him and he dragged his eyes away to the spirit on top of her. “Did you…just…change?”

The spirit looked at him in surprise before laughing. “Oh, I see! You’re new. Yeah, I’m a shifter.” The spirit slid off the deer’s back, patting her rump affectionately. “I’m a patron spirit for deer so naturally, I can shift into one. And not only that, but I can shift into a _stag_ , which by far is the best animal in the forest.” His tone was full of pride.

Tsukishima was trying to register the information in his mind when a voice cut through the street’s chatter with surprising ease.

“HAIBA LEV.”

The spirit in front of him immediately paled. “Y-Yaku!”

Looking down, did Tsukishima realize that a smaller spirit come forth with his arms crossed. Yaku was glaring daggers at Lev the Stag and the mortal wondered just what on earth he had gotten himself into.

“Lev, what did I tell you about shifting right in the _middle of the street_? Do you know how many people you nearly knocked over?”

“I’m sorry, Yaku!” Lev cried, throwing his arms around Juju’s neck once more. “You always tell me to watch out for my animals and she’s the only one I bring! If only I had a small animal form like you and brought a lot-“

The rest of his sentence was cut off by a shout of pain as Yaku’s fist connected with Lev’s stomach. Only after Yaku looked satisfied with himself did he turn to Tsukishima.

“Sorry about that. This one runs off a lot,” he pointed at Lev. “If he or his deer bothered you, sorry again.”

“It’s fine,” Tsukishima said, eyeing the man in front of him warily. If he knew Lev, then he was probably another shifter as well. He wondered what animal he was patron of. “I didn’t know…shifters existed.”

Yaku studied him before shrugging. “New spirits don’t know that many things exist once they get here. You live, you learn.”

Lev cackled, slapping Juju’s back. “Hah! Yaku, you said ‘you live!’ Even though we’re already dead! Haha!”

Tsukishima couldn’t help but shoot him an annoyed look. He had known the man for less than a few minutes and already his voice was grating. Yaku apparently shared the same sentiment. “It was an expression, Lev. Shut up.”

The mortal was about to ask what animal Yaku was patron spirit of when a familiar voice rang out. “YAAAKUU! LEEEEVVV!”

The three of them looked up to see Hinata doing a flying leap towards them. Tsukishima calmly stepped out of the way and Yaku ducked, causing the recruiter to slam into Lev’s chest with a loud ‘oof!’

“Hinata!” Lev cried out, excitement in his voice. “Long time no see!”

“Yeah, yeah!” Hinata yelled, hopping to his feet and letting out an idiotic ‘wooooaahhhhhh’ as his eyes reached Juju. “You brought Juju!”

Lev nodded, his head bobbing up and down so fast Tsukishima worried he’d get whiplash. “Yeah! And Yaku brought like, everyone.”

“Well of course, he’s small!”

The twitch in Yaku’s vein was ignored as Hinata finally caught sight of Tsukishima. “Oh, hey! Tsukishima, do you know these two?”

“I just met a deer,” he answered flatly.

“And a _stag_ ,” Lev quipped. “I’m a _stag_.”

Hinata laughed, waving his hands between the three of them. “Lev, Yaku, this is Tsukishima. He’s the, uh, newest addition at Karasuno. Tsukishima, these two are from Nekoma. They’re animal patrons of the forest.”

“Hm, I figured he was Karasuno’s,” Yaku said, his eyes on the kimono. “Are you a recruiter too?”

Tsukishima bit down on his lip. They hadn’t actually sorted out his story whatsoever. He had nothing to tell anyone if they asked him and it was only by luck that people quickly assumed that he was a new spirit rather than an outsider. Thankfully, Hinata cut in smoothly.

“He’s checking out all the different areas before settling,” the recruiter said. Yaku nodded. “Have you seen Kenma around?”

Yaku rolled his eyes. “Like you could find him on the actual street during a festival.”

“His cats won’t talk to me,” Hinata said with a whine.

“That’s because he doesn’t want anyone to find him,” Lev chortled. “This festival in particular.”

“Whyyyyy?!”

Tsukishima was about to start easing backwards, away from the conversation that he clearly had no part of. But before he could turn and enter the shop that Yamaguchi had went into, he saw Yaku lightly slap Hinata’s head. “Oi,” the small spirit said. “Tell Asahi and Nishinoya to lay off my rabbits. Just because I have a ton doesn’t mean they can go around killing them whenever they want.”

“What?! They killed a rabbit?!”

 _…Yaku is a rabbit._ As Tsukishima walked into the lantern store, he thought that the animal oddly fit.

Yamaguchi was just finishing up at the register when Tsukishima walked in, turning around to see him with a smile. Two rectangular lanterns were held in his hands and a small bag held what looked like brushes and paint. Unlike the other lanterns that were adorned with designs and colours, the ones that Yamaguchi bought were completely blank.

“Sorry I took so long, I ended up changing my mind when I saw these.”

“Why are they blank?” He asked, taking a lantern from Yamaguchi and studying it. He vaguely remembered a traditional custom where people would light lanterns in order to reach their dead loved ones. In the hands of spirits, these felt ironic.

“We can write wishes on them,” Yamaguchi said simply, holding up the small bag.

They left the shop, Tsukishima silently thanking that Yaku, Lev and Hinata had disappeared. It wasn’t hard to spot the large deer practically swimming through the crowd in the distance, however.

“There’s a river where we send these off over here,” Yamaguchi told him, steering them in the proper direction. “Typically, we send a lantern off near the end of the festival as a sort of closing ceremony.”

Tsukishima furrowed his brows as they neared the river. It was past the main street and even farther away from the noise. Slowly, all that was left was the gentle lapping of the water against the riverbank. “Why aren’t we being typical, then?”

Yamaguchi laughed and it rang around the forest like a bell. “Hearing you say that, Tsukki, it’s a bit surprising. You’re the least typical guy I’ve ever met.”

“Oh?” The mortal thanked the darkness for hiding his embarrassment. He hadn’t meant it like that, really. “Then what kind of guy am I?”

They stopped by the river’s edge and Yamaguchi knelt down, setting the lantern down on the ground. “You’re an interesting guy, Tsukki,” Yamaguchi said casually, pulling out the brush and ink. The only light was from the moon, shining high above them and reflecting on the water.

Tsukishima wanted to press on that statement; he wanted to question what Yamaguchi meant. But the spirit’s head was dipped low so that brown hair curtained his face and if the erratic pulse behind their bond’s walls was anything to go by, Yamaguchi didn’t want Tsukishima to insist for a better answer.

Instead, he knelt down next to the spirit, watching the brush stay poised over the thin paper. Yamaguchi peeked at him from the corner of his eye. “Are you going to watch me write my wish?”

“Are they supposed to be secret wishes?” They had a tiny staring contest before Tsukishima looked down and then away. “Sorry. Go ahead.”

Yamaguchi looked back down to his lantern and Tsukishima could hear the gentle push of the brush against the paper. _What’s his wish?_ He couldn’t help but wonder. _What’s so private about it that I can’t even see it when he was the one who came up with the idea?_

When the brush was handed to him, he noticed that Yamaguchi placed the lantern on the other side of his body, away from his eyes, as he searched for the candles.

Staring down at his own lantern, Tsukishima wondered what he was even supposed to wish about. He had never really believed in wishes coming true and the likes but Yamaguchi’s existence continued to persuade him otherwise.

_What’s something worth wishing about?_

Quickly, he painted words onto the crisp surface of the lantern, hiding it towards his chest when Yamaguchi handed him a candle. It was quiet between them, a shared moment of peace as they clutched their candles. They lit the wicks and the lanterns flared to life, the flames bouncing happily against their containers.

Tsukishima stared at the piece of light in his hands, feeling the warmth graze against his face comfortingly. When he looked up, he saw Yamaguchi clutching his own lantern and gazing at him with an indecipherable expression. Their bond pulsed.

He was afraid to open it. He was afraid to allow himself to see what was on the other side. The look on Yamaguchi’s face wasn’t a foreign one, but it was still an expression that Tsukishima was not familiar with. This was Yamaguchi, a _spirit_ , and here he was in a spirit world that he didn’t even belong in.

But for this one moment… this single night of festivities… Tsukishima figured it wouldn’t be so bad to let go at least a little bit.

The bond opened and the feelings flowed and he was suddenly filled with the emotions of comfort and reassurance. It was as if Yamaguchi could read every single insecurity on his face and was trying to push them away. Only when the flame flickered in front of him did he realize they had been standing there in silence for longer than just a few minutes, staring at each other.

“So do we just let them go?” He asked, pulling his eyes away. Yamaguchi shifted next to him, leaning towards the water.

“Yeah,” he said, his voice soft. “Like blowing a dandelion.”

Tsukishima was quiet as he set his lantern afloat next to Yamaguchi’s, watching them bob slightly before balancing out. They spun slowly and the mortal was suddenly met with Yamaguchi’s wish in plain view.

_‘I wish that Tsukki stays happy.’_

It was a simple wish, no more than a few words, but they spoke volumes to the mortal. The fact that Yamaguchi had placed _his_ happiness into words and set it afloat on a lantern that could’ve very well been a wish about his own self… It did things to Tsukishima’s chest.

But it wasn’t like his was basic either. When his own lantern twisted and turned on the current, he heard the spirit’s breath catch at the sight of the black paint.

_‘I hope Yamaguchi finds peace.’_

He didn’t know exactly what he wanted to mean, but it was the best he could think of. Yamaguchi’s life story and the obstacles that he faced at the Center were demons that haunted his soul. They were things that could never leave him now that he was a spirit, and the most Tsukishima could do was hope that Yamaguchi found a way to confront them.

They stood in silence, the bond throbbing between them but in a good way. Their wishes floated down the slow current, two single lights bobbing up and down against the dark contrast of the river.

When skin brushed against his, Tsukishima didn’t hesitate at all to open his hand and slide his fingers around the familiar wrist. The cuff had been pushed upwards, revealing the darkened patch of skin. Their bond marks touched and he closed his eyes with a quiet sigh.

Everything felt warm.

\-----

Yamaguchi being pressed up close next to him was no longer a foreign feeling. They were standing inside of a book store and the spirit was practically squashed against Tsukishima’s side.

Not like it was intentional, though. The bookstore was simply crammed.

“This is… You can only find these in museums,” Tsukishima gaped uncharacteristically as he flipped through a small tome, holding the book like it was a piece of gold. “How the hell is it here?”

“There are a ton of books that people bring over from their eras,” Yamaguchi pointed out. “And they’re reproduced here. You’ll probably find a lot of books that don’t exist anymore in your time.”

“No kidding,” Tsukishima breathed, still studying the small words. “If I buy this, can I bring it back with me to the mortal world?”

Yamaguchi pursed his lips, shrugging. “I have no clue. Try it. And if not, I can keep it safe for you at Karasuno.”

“This is _so cheap?_ ”

The spirit simply laughed. “Hey, I’ll be back in a second, alright?” Tsukishima looked up quickly. “Sakanoshita’s literally across from here, I’m just going to grab another drink.”

As Yamaguchi forced himself back to the entrance, Tsukishima wandered to the register, pulling books here and there that he _swore_ were discontinued. “Fuck, there’s only three left of these in the world,” he practically choked out when he saw a shelf full of a specific book.

“You can, by the way.”

Tsukishima startled when a voice seemed to appear out of nowhere. It sounded like it was addressing him. Looking around, all he saw was a cat perched on top of the shelf, lazily waving its tail. He was about to ignore it completely when an image of a large, annoying stag flashed into his mind.

He stared at the cat. “Are you…?”

“Yeah. And you can. You can bring books back to the mortal world.”

Tsukishima felt dizzy at the fact that he was talking to a cat. _Another shifter. It’s a cat… Hintata’s ‘Kenma’?_

“Oh. Interesting. I was… I was just wondering is all.”

Kenma seemed to nestle his head farther into his paws, the tail’s movements slowing down even more. “No need to hide it. You’re Tsukishima Kei.”

Paranoia sliced up Tsukishima’s back. “How did you know?” His voice dropped to a harsh whisper. He wondered how odd he looked, angrily speaking to a cat, but no other spirit paid them any attention.

“Shouyou is my friend and he doesn’t know how to close his mouth sometimes. You’re the phantom, right?”

 _The Phantom. That’s what Yamaguchi told me I’m called. I’m not a spectre, not a spirit, not entirely a mortal anymore…_ “Yeah,” he grunted. “What’s it to you?”

The cat’s hunches seemed to raise and drop. Kenma had shrugged. “Nothing, really. You don’t seem dangerous.”

Tsukishima’s frown deepened at that. “I’m not dangerous,” he argued. “I’m not a sp-“

The tail flickered and snapped in the air, the sound seeming far too loud for a normal cat to have made. Immediately, Tsukishima silenced. Kenma had raised his head, staring at him with intense, feline eyes. “You don’t want to go around saying that word here.” His voice sounded tired but had a dangerous bite to it. “For your safety.”

“R-Right,” Tsukishima said as he bit his lip. _Fuck_ , he had almost forgotten. “You’re not going to tell anyone, are you?”

“There’s no one to tell,” the cat said lazily, stretching as it stood up. “I watch over the lives of my animals; I don’t really care about other spirit companies.”

Kenma’s personality struck Tsukishima as surprisingly alike to his, though the shifter spirit was far more relaxed and mellow than he would ever be. The creature leaped from the shelf to the register and purred at the instinctual pat that the teller gave him without thinking. “I’ve got to go. The Dragon Dance is starting and if I don’t disappear, Yaku’s going to force me to dance.”

Tsukishima handed the books to the lady at the register and watched as Kenma easily dropped to the ground. “My only advice for you in this forest is that if you see a deer, run away.”

“Or a stag, apparently.”

The large eyes blinked at him once, understanding immediately. “I see. I’m sorry about that.” And with a single flick of the tail, Kenma was gone.

By the time Tsukishima was able to stumble his way to the front of the store and outside, the sound of drums and the cheer of people signaled that something important was starting.  Huge groups of people began to form in the middle of the street, spirits dragging others into rings formed by joint hands.

The sound of a huge horn filled the air and suddenly there was a mad dash. “Find your group!” came the shout of spirits, scrambling over each other in order to get into circles. Tsukishima was pushed side to side and front to back at a complete loss of what to do.

“What are you doing?” A random spirit said, grasping his shoulder with an excited look on his face. “Find your circle before the dance starts!”

 _Tsukishima did not dan-_ “Circle?”

“Yeah! Whatever company or group you’re a part of! Find them quick!”

The spirit was gone, whooping as he was swept into a ring of people he knew.

 _What do I do?_ Confusion filled his chest as he looked around aimlessly for someone that he was familiar with, anyone. Yamaguchi hadn’t returned after going to Sakanoshita and with how hectic the street was, Tsukishima figured he was being tugged into the flow of people as well. _Daichi didn’t tell us to meet anywhere! Am I even a part of this? For fuck’s sake, I don’t even-_

“TSUKKI!”

Tsukishima whipped his head around to see the speaker of the voice. Yamaguchi’s face was barely visible past the throng of people far to his left. He was waving his hands above his head wildly, jumping up and down trying to get his attention. Immediately, Tsukishima began to beeline. “Yamaguchi!”

“Tsukki, over here! Karasuno’s over here!”

The closer he got, the more people he recognized began to appear. Daichi and Suga smiled in relief when they saw him and even Nishinoya let out a loud hoot when he burst into the ring. “I’m sorry-“ he breathed quickly but was cut off when Yamaguchi yanked the bag of books from his hands and tossed them off to the side of the street. “H-HEY-“

“You can buy more!” Yamaguchi insisted, grabbing Tsukishima’s hand and tugging him closer. “You have to dance with us!”

Tsukishima’s attention was diverted to the huge circle they made, every single one of Karasuno’s members trembling with excitement. “What- I don’t even know how to dance this?”

“You follow your circle in the beginning,” Yamaguchi explained quickly as the slow beat of the drums began to signal the start of the dance. “And then you break off and just do whatever, really!”

“Those are _horrible_ instructions-“

“Tsukki for goodness sake just dance with me!” Yamaguchi snapped, lightly slapping Tsukishima’s arm. He paused for a second, before colour filled his face. “I-I mean, just-“

“GOOOOOO!”

Tanaka’s roar pulled his focus away from Yamaguchi’s face and before he knew it, he was gripping hands with the recruiter and Narita, who gave him a cheerful smile. The circle began to move and the entirety of Karasuno began to spin, running, jumping, tripping in the circular motion they were going in.

_This is a bad idea. This is a terrible dance. What are the steps? What am I supposed to do? Everyone’s just spinning, is that literally the point? Every other group is doing it too, what the hell. Someone’s going to get sick. The circle’s getting faster. Oh my god-_

The music was throbbing in his ears and the view of the people in front of him were becoming blurred but when Tsukishima turned his head to see how Yamaguchi was faring, everything turned crystal clear.

The recruiter’s eyes were closed tight, pinpricks of tears touching the corners as he laughed so hard he was about to cry. His face was tilted up towards the sky and his expression was open, so open. Tsukishima found himself gripping Yamaguchi’s hand even tighter.

Suddenly, the ring stopped so abruptly that he knocked into Narita, apologizing profusely when it started a domino effect of people falling to the ground. But everyone was laughing and jumping quickly to their feet, grabbing people left and right. He felt Yamaguchi’s hand pull on his and he looked at him in surprise. “It’s not done?”

“Nope! Remember, follow the circle, then do whatever!”

And just like that, Tsukishima was pressed flush up against Yamaguchi. The spirit even had the audacity to smile _cheekily_.

“Let’s dance, Tsukki!”

He scrambled to keep up with Yamaguchi’s quick steps and he gripped the spirit’s waist tightly. Their clasped hands were raised high above them, courtesy of Yamaguchi’s erratic way of dancing. It involved an unhealthy amount of spins and random jumps that made Tsukishima feel more _frog_ than _swan_.

But even though there was no pattern and Tsukishima stepped on Yamaguchi’s feet more times than he’d like to admit, there was still something enchanting about holding the other spirit this close. The few times in the clearing or by the river paled in comparison.

Yamaguchi was a star made of stars. He glowed so brightly underneath the moonlight that Tsukishima thought it was impossible that the blue wisps were what made a spirit look like a spirit, because Yamaguchi looked _ethereal_.

When the spirit spun, he took the world with him and all Tsukishima could do was watch in wonder. When the recruiter stepped and tripped, it felt like the ground was being pulled out from under Tsukishima’s own feet and all he could do was pull him closer. When Yamaguchi cheered in time with the music, throwing his head back and laughing into the night sky, Tsukishima’s eyes followed the lines of his neck that stretched down to his collar bones.

The warmth the spirit emitted was nothing like the original cold touch they first shared. Now, their warm hands squeezed each other’s tightly and the palm on his shoulder felt like the only thing keeping Tsukishima on the ground.

Soon, Tsukishima was too caught up in the moment to realize what he was doing. He swept Yamaguchi up, lifting him and spinning him once to match the timing of the chimes. The spirit let out peals of excited laughter that made Tsukishima feel like every hole inside of his chest had been filled instantly. When he dipped him, grinning down at the ecstatic recruiter, Yamaguchi threw his arms around Tsukishima’s neck, whooping loudly.

As the drums let out its final, ringing boom, they stopped moving, breathing heavily. Yamaguchi’s face was pressed against Tsukishima’s open chest and the mortal could feel the warm breath that hit his skin. He suppressed a shiver. There was no space between them and their hands were gripping each other so tight he swore he lost circulation. Tsukishima’s own face was buried in brown locks, breathing in what smelled like sweat and something particularly _Yamaguchi_.

“…ki.”

Tsukishima didn’t want to move. He’d give anything to stop time in that very moment. Right now, he was a spirit. He was a spirit enjoying a festival in Yokohama, having the most fun he’d ever had in his entire life.

“Tsukki.”

His arms instinctively tightened around the recruiter’s waist as his rationale flitted out his ears and happy emotions buzzed in his chest. This was what he was looking for. This happiness and comfort and _warmth_. Who knew that it was provided by a group of people that were dead?

“Tsukki! You’re really hot.”

The words shook him and he looked down quickly, his face no doubt a scarlet red. Was Yamaguchi… Was this a…?

Pulling back, the recruiter looked up at him with a bemused expression. “I’m sweating and so are you, so I don’t think it’s a good idea to keep holding that tight now that the dance is over.”

_Oh._

“Right, sorry,” he said, immediately letting go and pulling away. Yamaguchi wiped his brow with his kimono sleeve, looking thoroughly danced-out.

“Wow, that was fun!” he said cheerfully, and Tsukishima could only give him a nod in reply. “Oh jeez, I’m sorry about your books, but they’re still here!” The recruiter raced to the side of the street, picking up the bag and studying its contents. “And they look alright, too.”

Tsukishima received the bag, eyes still following Yamaguchi as he fixed his hair, his kimono, and his flushed face. The recruiter gently patted his cheeks in an attempt to get the heat down. Tsukishima found it horribly endearing.

“Yamaguchi.” The spirit looked up, a question in his eyes. “Is that all?”

“What do you mean?”

The mortal looked uncomfortable, his hand tightening around the grip on his bag. He didn’t know how to phrase it, or even what he was asking explicitly. It’s not like he could look Yamaguchi dead in the eye and ask if there was another time he could dance with no inhibitions and hold him so close it ached. “During this festival. Is there any more?”   

It took a few seconds before Yamaguchi’s smile softened in understanding. “Yeah,” he said, tugging at his sleeves. “There’s a bit more.”

\-------

The Starlight Parade was beautiful.

It wasn’t what Tsukishima expected, where some sort of event would happen in the middle of the street. Instead, all the spirits held lanterns and traveled to the river where he and Yamaguchi had sent off their lanterns previously.

Yamaguchi led him up a small cliff that looked over the entire river. Claiming that it was the best spot to watch the parade, Tsukishima couldn’t deny it once he saw the view.

Watching the lanterns slowly light up one by one was mesmerizing but as soon as masses of them began to float down the river, the scene captivated him. They might have been decorated or gaudy with colours, but the lanterns that floated down there were other people’s wishes, much like his own.

The sudden realization hit his chest hard when Tsukishima looked over the heads of hundreds of spirits, all with content expressions on their faces.

 _They’re still people. They’re people with dreams, wishes and hopes for futures that were never able to come. Instead, they’re here, praying for the lives of others._ Yamaguchi’s wish suddenly made even more sense. If he couldn’t be happy, at least Tsukishima would be.

Looking over, Yamaguchi was watching the lanterns float with a serene expression on his face and Tsukishima felt guilty. _You deserve happiness too_ , he thought, gazing at the stars on his cheeks that were far more interesting than the stars on the water. _For continuing to stick around someone like me…for staying so strong even in the face of inner conflict. You deserve peace_ and _happiness._

Ignoring the consequences of what could happen, he pushed the thought through the bond insistently, seeing the surprise flit across Yamaguchi’s face. The spirit turned to look at him.

“Tsukki…” he said, voice full of wonder.

“Yeah?” he answered, wincing at how rough his voice sounded.

A small nudge by his hand nearly made him glance down but he felt Yamaguchi’s pinky finger gently hook into his. Though the contact between them was small, it felt like a huge step had been taken forward. Warmth flooded his chest once more.

“I am happy. Happier than I’ve been in a really long time.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the fluff :)
> 
> Ta!  
> Juni~


	8. Ever Been In Love?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's 8! 
> 
> Also, holy crap, [ART??](https://absolutetrash03.tumblr.com/post/155704362648/tsukki-fanart-from-pretentious-git-tsukkiyama-fic) by the fantastic @absolutetrash03 I love the orange blossoms omg!!
> 
> Thank you to my brilliant beta and the one who shares my immediate recognition of 'Kuroo's a fucktard' grin~

 

_“Hey, Tsukki?”_

_The mortal looked over at the spirit who was tugging at his sleeves insistently. They were walking to the edge of the forest and Tsukishima assumed that Yamaguchi was feeling antsy because of the mortality barrier._

_After the festival, everyone was still in ridiculously high spirits despite the fact that the sun was just peeking past the horizon. He had spent the_ whole damn night _with these spirits and unlike them, he was almost falling over with every step out of exhaustion._

_Daichi threw him onto the trolley back to Moonlight Station as soon as possible with nothing but a pat on the shoulder and a ‘I’m glad you had fun.’ Yamaguchi was told to go with, just in case he actually did pass out in the middle of the forest._

_Having redressed as quickly as possible, all he had with him were the books that he bought from the festival, his_ wakizashis _which were wrapped in mortal-cloth and strapped against his back, as well as his last tendrils of consciousness. Yamaguchi’s bracelet was also still latched onto his wrist._

_“Yeah?”_

_The edge of the forest became clearer and Tsukishima could see his car still parked haphazardly on the beaten path. It was hard to believe that he had been both chased by a spectre and celebrated at a festival within the same few hours._

_They stopped just short of the last few trees, where Yamaguchi could go no farther. He turned to look at the spirit who was looking at him with apprehension in his eyes._

_“There’s another one.”_

_“What?” His brain really wasn’t functioning at the moment so cryptic talk wasn’t going to bode over well._

_“Another festival,” Yamaguchi clarified and that piqued Tsukishima’s interest. “It’s called Fire and Forest Carnival. Would you be interested in going?”_

_Of course he was interested in going. If only his muscles weren’t screaming at him to take a rest, he would be back at the Center with him, celebrating with the other spirits. Or at least, celebrating with Yamaguchi and learning how the recruiter enjoyed his after-festival festivities._ What a silly question _, Tsukishima thought idly._

_“Yeah,” he said, nodding. “What’s that one about?”_

_A grin slid onto Yamaguchi’s mouth. “We light the forest on fire, obviously.”_

_Tsukishima paused, then, “Obviously.”_

_The recruiter laughed, a sound that Tsukishima’s tired ears still hungrily lapped up. “You’ll see. It’s not for a while anyway. You need to go home and get some rest before you get to work. I’m sure your friends are worried for you.”_

_His friends. That’s right, his coworkers and his friends that he had so gracefully left in the middle of a spectre attack. The events of yesterday filled his mind once more and he tried to figure out just how he would explain his disappearance to Bokuto. At least he was okay, and that was mainly what mattered to the others._

_“But I’ve got one last thing for you.”_

_“I’ve gotten a lot from you guys today,” Tsukishima said warily, the feeling of the bracelet more pronounced on his wrist, his weapons heavy against his back. “You don’t need to bribe me just to get me to come back.”_

_Apparently his casual statement must have done something because the spirit suddenly looked a thousand times happier. Tsukishima couldn’t figure out why, though._

_“Oh, it’s not like that,” Yamaguchi assured him, waving his hand dismissively. “It’s just a safety charm, basically.” He pulled out a small item from the depth of his kimono, a slim leather rope connected to a familiar looking stone._

_“More jewelry?”_

_“I told you, Tsukki, at least they’re not girly.”_

_Unable to restrain a small huff of laughter, Tsukishima stuck out his hand again, waiting for another bracelet or maybe a ring this time, who knew. He blinked in surprise when Yamaguchi suddenly shifted forward, hands outstretched. It was a necklace._

_“Lower your head; you’re too tall,” the spirit whined._

_“You’re too short,” Tsukishima said instinctively, but obligingly dipped his head. He could smell Yamaguchi from this close distance, the sweetness of the festival food still lingering on his clothes and a faint smell of the forest. It was gone all too soon, however, when the necklace dropped against his chest and Yamaguchi pulled away._

_He looked down and fingered the pendant, realizing that it was a small crescent moon cut from the same rock as his bracelet. There were the stars, now he had the moon. “Interesting theme,” he commented._

_Yamaguchi chuckled, shrugging. “You get what you get. That should be able to protect you from spectres. It has the same safety charm as the Center does.”_

_Tsukishima nodded. “Will it protect my workplace?”_

_“Um… Daichi said that if after a specific target, spectres focus on them alone. So they wouldn’t go after anyone at your work if you’re not there. And if you are, you’ve got that so…”_

_“So in theory, everyone should be fine.” Yamaguchi nodded and Tsukishima let the little moon drop. “Alright. Sounds good. Tell everyone I said thank you.”_

_“I will, Tsukki.”_

_There was a beat of silence before the mortal decided to turn around and walk towards his car. “Bye, then.”_

_“Bye, Tsukki!”_

_His footsteps were loud in the air and a strange feeling was tugging at his chest. They had closed the bond a while ago, settling into their own feelings, yet Tsukishima still felt obliged to say something. He knew that Yamaguchi was still standing there, watching him leave. Just before he stepped onto the gravel of the road, he turned around. Yamaguchi looked at him expectantly._

_“I’ll be back soon,” he found himself saying._

_The warm look that spread on the spirit’s face was definitely worth Tsukishima’s awkward tone of voice. “I know.”_

\------

Now Tsukishima was trudging towards his apartment door, scowling at the rising sun. This whole spirit situation was not only eating away at his mortal soul but it was totally fucking up his sleep schedule. Judging by the brightness of the morning, he should be off to work in an hour at most.

_Enough time for maybe a fifteen minute nap,_ he thought desperately as he unlocked his door.

But when he stepped into the kitchen and was met with Akiteru’s thoroughly-shocked face, all thoughts of sleep went out the window.

“KEI?” His brother immediately scrambled up, the bowl of cereal on the table nearly flipping over. “Holy SHIT, where have you been?!”

He had completely forgotten that his brother was another part of the problem to his returning home. All thoughts of Akiteru had left his mind when he started the trek back, focusing mainly on the guys at work. His mouth gaped open, all and any excuses completely bypassing his mind.

Akiteru looked horrible, his eyes a bit red and the hint of bags under his eyes. His hair was a frazzled mess and by the looks of it, the clothes he was currently wearing were not pajamas. _Did he…not sleep?_

The older of the two was standing before Tsukishima, wringing his hands nervously although it was obvious that he was trying not to launch forward for a hug. Tsukishima didn’t think he could do hugs at the moment. “I was so worried, _fuck_ , Kei, don’t go disappearing like that!” Akiteru’s words were harsh and packed full of concern.

“How did-?”

“Koutarou called me! You did answer any of our calls, damnit! What the hell?”

The image of his nervous boss filled his mind and he knew he was probably in for it once he got back to work. Bokuto had various moods, but ‘nervous’ was one that rarely came along. If he was nervous for Tsukishima, that meant Akaashi was even more nervous. That also meant that Kuroo was probably a wreck.

“I- shit, I’m sorry,” he said, shifting the hand holding his books farther behind him. It crossed his mind just in time that if Akiteru looked down, the books probably looked all blue and misty and _really_ , that was something Tsukishima did _not_ want to explain right now. “I was…had to check…” his voice trailed off lamely. He had no clue how to explain his disappearance.

“And for the _whole night_? Kei, it was a tornado! Luckily no one was hurt by the street damage but when Koutarou told me you just ran out and weren’t answering anyone’s calls, what the hell was I supposed to think?”

Listening to his brother talk and rant was proving to be much easier than trying to find a plausible excuse. Tsukishima was horribly exhausted and even the anger towards his brother was at such a low level that all he wanted to do was say ‘Sorry, I won’t do it again.’ But of course, that phrase wouldn’t fly in a situation like this.

Akiteru looked so distraught that guilt poked at Tsukishima’s stomach, making him shift awkwardly in front of the other. It wasn’t that hard to pick up, especially with his level of perceptiveness. Akiteru had close to little sleep that night. That night, when Tsukishima was gallivanting in a spirit festival, his brother was probably calling his cell phone every five minutes, waiting for a call that would never pick up. He had left it on his desk at work.

When Tsukishima was sending off wishes for Yamaguchi’s peace, Akiteru was probably running the streets, trying to find him. When Tsukishima was conversing with shifter spirits, Akiteru was probably continuously calling up Bokuto, asking for any update. When Tsukishima was lifting Yamaguchi into the air, admiring the way he shone, Akiteru was here, waiting for his lost brother.

“I’m sorry,” he said earnestly, stopping any more words from flowing. Akiteru looked stunned. “I didn’t know what I was doing, running off. I thought it was better to outrun the storm. I, er, stayed in a shop overnight and fell asleep. My phone’s at work.”

_Lame excuse. It’s a lame excuse but there’s nothing else that I can say._

But his brother simply breathed a sigh, one hand rubbing at his face tiredly as his other hand rested on his waist. “Kei… I know things are rocky between us right now-“ Right, leave it to his brother to bring that up so straightforwardly. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t worry about you. And I know you can take care of yourself but…”

They were silent, Tsukishima staring down his brother expectantly while Akiteru simply glared off to the floor. Finally, the older man sighed. “Just bring your phone, alright? Please? For peace of _my_ mind?

Tsukishima swallowed before nodding. “Sure.” This was new. Akiteru had never explicitly blown up in front of him before and even though they were adults now, Tsukishima had always been a responsible person. Throwing his evening away for Yamaguchi and forgetting all of his responsibilities on the other side of the forest was uncharacteristic of him and new.

He wasn’t sure if it was a ‘good’ new either.

“Alright. Thanks. Don’t you have work today? The streets are screwed up but they’ve been working on them all through the night so…they should be remotely okay. Not many places chose to close today.”

That’s right, work. He turned to head towards his room, ignoring the way Akiteru’s eyes zeroed in on the large package strapped on his back. Thankfully, Asahi had given him a large swab of cloth from the mortal world to cover up the weapons, lest Akiteru see the wispiness. He didn’t say a word, however, and Akiteru simply blinked.

“Oh, right,” Tsukishima paused by the entrance to the hallway, fingers lightly pressing against the doorframe. He turned his head slightly towards his brother. “Where’d…where’d you get the job?”

He asked the question stiffly, fully aware that he was a few days too late to ask it. Akiteru had been going to and from work happily for the past week and Tsukishima had still yet to ask where exactly he got the job.

“Wolf Creek Publishers.”

Tsukishima looked up in surprise.

“I had an interview a while ago and they seemed to really like me,” his brother chuckled awkwardly, scratching at his cheek. “They said I had potential even though I’m only working as an intern in editorials. I really like it there.”

That was the place that he had told the guys at work about. To hear that Akiteru actually got the job made him feel a strange sort of pride. “I’m- Wow,” he ended up saying. “That’s good. Good job.”

“Thanks, Kei,” his brother said brightly. “I know that’s a place you’ve been sending your work in so… I hope that’s okay.”

“That’s fine,” he answered. It really was, now. Akiteru had a job and Tsukishima had been in a good mood ever since he left the forest so… Yeah. It was fine. “Congratulations again.”

Akiteru laughed lightly, nodding. “Alright, you’re being too nice. Go get ready for work or something. I need to head out soon too.”

Giving his older brother the bare minimum of a smile, he nodded and turned away, mustering up whatever energy he had left for the rest of the work day.

\-------

Tsukishima stared at the entrance of his publishing company with a deep frown. Though the whole structure looked stable, all of the glass from the front windows and the door were completely gone. The street sign in front was completely bent over at a straight 90 degree angle and random debris was scattered on the sidewalk. From the inside, he heard recognizable voices.

“OI! KUROO! STOP HOGGING THE DUST PAN AND HAND IT OVER!” Bokuto’s raucous voice could’ve been heard from down the street.

“Get away from me you freak, you don’t have to hover over my shoulder watching me _clean_ -“ Kageyama still sounded as grouchy as ever, if not more so.

“Kuroo Tetsurou, leave your protégé alone and do some work.” Akaashi sounded strict.

“WHY IS EVERYONE PICKING ON ME?”

Tsukishima stepped through the empty door frame and carefully avoided the glass on the ground, lifting a hand. “I’m home,” he said casually, watching four heads swivel in his direction.

The effect was instantaneous. Two flying bodies barreled into him and he had to grip the doorframe to make sure he didn’t topple over. Bokuto was practically fluttering over him while Kuroo was squeezing him tight. Tsukishima tried to suppress the natural feeling of irritation. He _had_ worried them after all.

“TSUKISHIMA!” Wailed his boss, grabbing his face and squeezing it like he was an overbearing aunt visiting her niece. “WE THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!”

He would’ve answered with a sardonic ‘I’m not’ if his breath hadn’t left him in a quick ‘whoosh.’ He looked down in anger to see a fist tucked against his stomach. “Kuroo what the _fu-_ “

“Don’t you ‘what the fuck’ me, you bastard!” Kuroo said, pulling away to glare at his best friend. “You ran out during the middle of a damn tornado! What the hell were you thinking?!”

_Here it comes_ , Tsukishima thought warily. From the corner of his eye, he saw Akaashi walk over, dust pan clutched in his hands. Though the editor looked fairly calm, the whites of his knuckles were enough to tell Tsukishima otherwise. Kageyama was looking at him, suspicion in his eyes.

Seizing the chance when Kuroo’s hold slackened, he bowed low, hearing Bokuto’s short gasp. “I’m sorry,” he recited, throwing together whatever leftover lies he had left. “I remembered that Akiteru didn’t have an actual car and I was…worried. So I thought I could get to him in time. I took shelter in a nearby shop since the storm got too bad so…I’m okay.”

It was silent for a bit, a pregnant pause prolonging throughout the entire office as Tsukishima’s apology settled into people’s minds. Finally, a large hand pressed on down on his shoulder, urging him to straighten up.

Bokuto was grinning at him. “It’s fine, it’s fine,” his boss assured him. “As long as you’re okay and since Akiteru called almost every few hours, I’m assuming he’s alright too. I have to say though, when you just upped and ran out, I was freaking out!”

“Where did you go?” Akaashi cut in, curiosity colouring his tone.

Tsukishima jerked a thumb backwards. “A shop down the road not too far from here. It got really bad.”

A slap on the shoulder made him look at Kuroo. Really, he was okay. All this physical abuse was going to make him _not_ okay pretty soon. “Don’t do it again,” his best friend said and Tsukishima knew that of everyone there, Kuroo had probably worried the most.

Despite his lax attitude and the fact that he practically had a permanent ‘go with the flow’ expression, Kuroo was known to worry each one of them up a wall if the situation called for it. Tsukishima both admired and was irritated by the specific trait, but that was who Kuroo was.

“I don’t hate myself that much,” he drawled in response, ignoring the eye roll he received back.

“Alright, cool. Well, now that you’re here, you’re not exempt from work, Tsukishima,” Bokuto chirped enthusiastically as he swept his hand to show the building. “We’re cleaning up glass and helping the repair guys when they come in later. Gotta also check the papers because a bunch of them got caught in the wind.”

Tsukishima nodded and moved forward, everyone dispersing as they all returned back to the tasks that were originally given to them. Looking around for the closest thing to clean, he began picking up stray pages of an edition that were scattered around.

As he worked, he felt a presence inch closer and closer towards him. It was nothing creepy, just Kageyama failing horrendously at acting subtle as usual. The intern kept shooting him dark glances full of curiosity and question. Tsukishima had no intention of asking what the hell was wrong with him and proceeded to devote all his attention on the pages that fluttered here and there.

It was only when there was an obvious clear of throat did he look up and sigh irritably. “Can I help you?”

“You could’ve helped _us_ instead of running off in the middle of a tornado,” came the harsh retort.

“Ah, right, because worrying for my brother is such a crime,” he replied sardonically. He couldn’t blame Kageyama, not really. He knew his excuse was just skimming the line of believable. It was probably the fact that his friends truly believed he was a ‘sap at heart’ that they accepted Tsukishima’s excuse of trying to get to Akiteru. Kageyama, on the other hand, had only known him for approximately a year. They hadn’t had a good relationship from the very start. Everything Tsukishima said was questionable to the intern.

Kageyama glared at him over the top of his broom, a small pile of glass before him. _Did he sweep all of that all the way over here just to talk to me?_ Tsukishima thought placidly. “So why did you really run out?” The question was blunt and to the point. “No one _actually_ runs out during a tornado.”

“Then I’m an exception,” the writer answered bluntly, resuming his picking up of papers.

“Fucked up exception you are. Where’d you go?”

If only the intern wasn’t someone that Kuroo actually cared about… Tsukishima inwardly sighed. “What the hell do you want to hear from me? Why do you care anyway? I’m here aren’t I? Safe and sound.”

His answer seemed to dissatisfy Kageyama even more. Tsukishima chanced a glance around and saw Bokuto and Kuroo bickering over whose turn it was to empty out the trash can this time. Akaashi was diligently studying the pane-less door in the front.

“What if I said I was in the forest? Would that satisfy you?”

Kageyama’s eyes narrowed until they were nearly slits. He apparently had a very intimidating character but to Tsukishima it was nothing. _He_ would never feel intimidated by this grouchy, pessimistic asshole of an intern.

“The suicide forest.”

“That’s the one,” Tsukishima said, mimicking the enthusiastic tone of Bokuto as best as possible. To hell with it all; Kageyama’s presence was starting to dampen his really good mood. “There’s this place in the woods full of spirits and I’m also part spirit, since you seem so concerned over my wellbeing. They were having a festival so I figured I’d check it out and unfortunately it took the entire night but it was pretty damn fun. They kill people, by the way. That’s why no bodies are ever found. I figured you’d be curious.”

There was as stunned silence coming from the intern as Kageyama stared at Tsukishima with a mixed expression of both confusion, repulsion and anger. _I’m surprised this guy isn’t used to being made fun of,_ he thought as he topped off his little recap with a shit-eating, polite smile.

“Fuck you, Tsukishima.”

“Thank you, Kageyama. I really, _truly_ appreciate the concern.”

As the intern stomped away, leaving his little pile of glass behind, Tsukishima nearly fell into it when Kuroo startled him by appearing right by his face. “Hey.”

“Don’t do that.”

“Hey, Tsukki.”

“Don’t call me that.” He wasn’t a certain freckled spirit recruiter that had immediate rights. Suddenly, it just felt wrong to be coming out of Kuroo’s mouth no matter how many times he had used it before in the past.

“Fine, fine. Hey, Tsukishima.”

“ _What?_ ”

“I know the place has just been totally wrecked by a freak tornado and you look like you had no sleep but…you’re surprisingly in a good mood today. Pretty lax on Kageyama right there.”

The writer turned to stare at his friend with a bewildered expression. “What gave you the urge to just come up and tell me?” He asked flatly.

Kuroo shrugged, still studying him as if Tsukishima held secrets as to why he felt happy. Which, he did, he wasn’t going to lie, but Kuroo didn’t need to know any of them. So what if as in a good mood? He had been in good moods before. This wasn’t anything new. If Kuroo was commenting on it, then just how ‘good’ of this mood was he currently in?

“What’s this?” The designer asked, reaching out to poke at the necklace that still hung from his neck. Tsukishima instinctively shied away. “Looks old.”

It _wasn’t_ old, but he assumed it could look that way. The leather looked worn and very few pieces of jewelry ever used raw cut stones. Yachi had done a brilliant job, however. Without thinking, he reached up to finger the stone. “It’s just a…thing I had. Lying around.”

“Looks traditional,” came Akaashi’s voice and Tsukishima startled to see him so close as well. The three other workers were all crowding around Tsukishima’s crouched position while Kageyama swept angrily in the corner.

“Looks cool!” Bokuto chimed.

“Traditional?” Tsukishima echoed Akaashi’s word, peering down at the stone. It didn’t look like much to him at all other than a handmade necklace.

The editor nodded. “Like something you’d find hanging in a shrine.”

_I mean. Karasuno practically looks like a shrine._

“Oooooh! Matching bracelet!” His boss’s grabby fingers gripped at his wrist, holding it up to the light. “Akaashi! Look! This has stars!”

He was subjected to intense study as Kuroo and Akaashi peered at the bracelet at his wrist, made by the same hands that created his necklace. Inwardly, Tsukishima thanked the spirits that the jewelry didn’t look off-putting to mortals and the only question he had gotten so far was a curious ‘Where’d you find these?’ To which he answered ‘tucked in a drawer somewhere.’

“They make you look cool, Tsukishima,” Kuroo said with a grin after rubbing his finger over the stars. “Kinda edgy.”

“I don’t think traditional makes anyone look ‘edgy,’” he answered mildly.

Bokuto’s laugh made him look over. “Kuroo’s right! Tsukishima, you _are_ in a good mood.” He stared at his boss cryptically. “First an apology and then new bling? You’ve changed, my friend. You’ve changed for the better.” He let out a little huff of breath when Bokuto’s hand came slamming down against his back.

_An intervention,_ Tsukishima thought desperately. _We need an intervention for how many times they can hit me in a day._

\--------

There was a lull at the moment in their little company. Everything had been sent in and the edition was getting printed somewhere in the back under the watchful eyes of Akaashi in case anything went wrong.

In moments like these, Tsukishima took the chance to work on other projects such as his own books and stories.

However, unlike the typical writers’ block he got every once in a while, this one was particularly frustrating.

The chatter of the men who were installing new glass panes on their windows reached his ears and the steady humming of Kuroo while he surfed the internet idly wasn’t helping. Bokuto was in his office, chattering away on the phone and Kageyama was…well, probably in the break room again.

It wasn’t that Tsukishima couldn’t work when it was loud. Contrary to popular belief, he didn’t _always_ like complete solitude even though he acted as if the world’s existence annoyed him. Kuroo could sing, so his humming was fine and in tune. Bokuto always spoke with such a cheerful tone so the vibe of the whole building felt relaxed. Even the workers near the front’s conversation was a bit interesting as they tried to discuss how the tornado from last night appeared and disappeared in less than a few minutes. ‘Freak weather,’ they concluded.

It was just that Tsukishima could only focus on _one thing_ and one thing alone.

Freckles.

Those tiny, dark pinpricks that decorated the soft cheeks of a deceased boy, resurrected again as a spirit.

Basically, all he could think about was Yamaguchi.

He wanted to write a story but the ideas kept getting swallowed up by the resurgence of other memories. When he thought of possible happy genres, all he could hear was laughter accompanied by the boom of drums. When he wanted to attempt sad genres, he could only see the brokenness of dark brown eyes as they turned up towards the sky. When he decided to just fuck everything and attempt a genre he had never written before, like mystery, all he could see were the two wishes bobbing down the river with the unspoken question ‘Will they ever come true?’

Frustrated and a little too angry, he shoved the keyboard away, dropping his head into his hands with a quiet groan.

It was starting to become a hassle, trying to balance these two lives at once. The line for preference had begun to blur the more times he spent in the forest. If someone were to force him to choose where he’d rather be at the moment, he was frightened by the realization that the Center was the first thing that came to mind.

_I write,_ he thought forcefully, gripping his hair tightly. _I write and I’m an author and I write good books that people like. I have secure future. I have a brother. I have friends. What more could I ever want?_

When a single word popped into his mind, blanketing every question with its heavy answer, Tsukishima jerked so hard that he toppled over in his chair, staring up at his desk with shock written all over his face.

_Impossible_ , he thought weakly. _I don’t want that. I don’t_ need _that. I can’t afford to have that in my life._

His chest felt tight and he suddenly felt dizzy, the huge revelation hitting him full force. Why did the thought come to him so easily, though? Why did it feel like the answer to all questions, the reason for his continuous returning to Karasuno?

There was no way he was searching for _that_.

“Hey- Woah, you okay?” Kuroo’s head was suddenly above him, looking down with a concerned expression.

Tsukishima stared up at him with searching eyes, trying to figure out his best friend. Kuroo had lived a good twenty-five years without needing _that_ , and here he was, completely fine. He had always thought that the designer and him had somewhat similar yet contrasting personalities and his philosophy was that if Kuroo could do it, so could Tsukishima.

“Yeah, the ground looked lonely,” he answered automatically, immediately reverting back to the blank expression his friends had come to know and lo- _like_. For fuck’s sake, he had to smite that word from his vocabulary lest he get an aneurism.

“…Right.” Kuroo raised a single eyebrow. “Well, if you’re done enjoying each other’s company, Kageyama and I are going out to drink and you’re coming.”

“Why does it sound like I have no choice in the matter?”

“Because you don’t,” Kuroo practically cooed, shooting him a shitty grin that everyone had come to associate as the ‘Kuroo’s a fucktard’ grin.

Tsukishima picked himself up off the ground, brushing off his pants as casually as possible. “Why am I the third wheel to this date?”

The designer scoffed, slinging an arm around his best friend’s shoulders. “Bokuto and Akaashi are _actually_ taking a date night and I’m lonely so I’m taking it out on you two. Buy me drinks and I’ll pretend to be interested in you.”

“Fuck that,” Tsukishima said with a sigh as he started clicking at his computer screen, shutting it down. However, his friend’s words rang in his ears. “Hey, Kuroo.”

“Hmm?” The other man hummed, already grabbing for Tsukishima’s bag and jacket because as much as Kuroo could be easy going, he was far too impatient for a lot of things.

“Ever been in love?”

Kuroo paused. “That’s a weird thing to hear coming out of your mouth, Tsukishima.”

He knew it was. The writer was fully aware that he had probably said the L word about five times in his life. All of those moments, excluding now, had been when he was a child, telling his mother he loved her and that was about it. As far as he knew, he had never said it in front of Kuroo, much less brought up the topic of significant others.

He could only shrug in reply. “Just wondering.”

Handing over his bag, Kuroo crossed his arms. “Not really, no. Never had the chance to and no one really mattered before.”

That much, Tsukishima understood.

“Buuuut, there’s this adorable little cat that comes around my apartment complex every once in a while and if there’s anyone I truly love, it’s her,” he said in a sickeningly sweet voice.

“Alright, great to know,” Tsukishima said with a roll of his eyes, shoving his friend towards the back door. “Let’s go.”

Kageyama joined them, stoic as usual, but without Bokuto’s loud voice filling up the car, it was just Kuroo blabbering away. By the time they had gotten to their usual bar and ordered their usual food, the magazine designer seemed to be running out of things to talk about.

“Lonely,” Kuroo grunted, setting down his fifth glass of beer and rubbing a hand over his face. “Can’t believe Bokuto went on a date _without_ me.”

Tsukishima looked up from his plate at the same time Kageyama snorted across from him. They had both chosen to stay far away from the liquor this evening because if their driver was completely incapacitated, at least they could do was bring him home safely. “Last time I checked, it was a relationship involving Akaashi and Bokuto. Not Akaashi, Bokuto and you.”

Kuroo lolled his head, scrunching up his face in frustration. “But he’s like…my _brother_ ,” he whined loudly.

“Why would you want to be in a relationship with your brother?” Kageyama asked, stupefied. Tsukishima fought the urge to sigh.

“We’re like twins, ya know?” Kuroo eyed them all and the two nodded just to satiate the drunk man. “Gotta do everything together.”

“Everything?” Tsukishima repeated.

“ _Everything._ ”

The writer scooped up more vegetables onto his plate. He ate slowly, watching Kuroo in slight amusement. “Define ‘everything.’”

“You knooowww,” Kuroo said, waving his hand vaguely. “Like, eating and sleeping and shit.”

“Eating and sleeping and shit,” Kageyama repeated, still unmoving since his previous question. The confused and slightly irritated look hadn’t changed since Kuroo downed his last glass of beer.

“I think it’s better to just ignore him at this point,” Tsukishima told the intern, wiping his mouth. “There’s no point in questioning his relationship with Bokuto.”

The intern turned to look at him. “Does Akaashi, ever?”

“Akaashi rides this boat knowing fully well that the co-captain is Kuroo, not him.”

“Doesn’t that bother him?”

Tsukishima shrugged. Akaashi and Bokuto had been together since he and Kuroo first met them back in college. The two other guys hit it off horrendously well but even to this day, Tsukishima had never actually seen Akaashi jealous. Bokuto fawned over him too greatly for anyone to ever see his and Kuroo’s friendship as a threat.

“They’re so open with each other that if Bokuto sucked Kuroo’s dick he’d probably tell Akaashi minutes after. _That_ would make him jealous.”

The intern looked scandalized at the crude image. “What the hell?”

“No, it doesn’t bother him,” Tsukishima clarified with a roll of his eyes. “They’re so in love with each other sometimes it hurts to watch.”

And there it was again, the seventh time he’d ever said that word. It felt odd, rolling off his tongue so casually. Luckily, Kageyama didn’t pick up the grimace he wore.

“I’d never, _ever_ let that owl suck my dick,” came a voice and the two looked over, remembering that Kuroo still existed and was apparently still conscious. The designer wore a disgusted expression. “So gross. He’s my bro. Just my bro. Just like your bro, Tsukki. You don’t wanna go around sucking Akiteru’s dick, do you?”

Kageyama choked and Tsukishima felt his appetite plummet. He immediately shoved over a half-filled glass of beer. “Drink and pass out, please.” Kuroo obliged without question.

“That’s disgusting,” Kageyama said after chugging down his entire glass of water. “Fucking gross as fuck.”

Tsukishima figured that was probably the one and only thing he’d ever agree with Kageyama on. When Kuroo was drunk, it was a verbal minefield. Who knew what the man would ever say?

With Kuroo promptly falling asleep on the table, the two realized that the air between them hung heavy. Their one mediator was out and that left the two of them, uncooperative as they were, to talk.

Technically, they didn’t _have_ to, but Tsukishima was fully aware of how dickish he’d look if he were to just leave Kuroo’s dead weight body for Kageyama to deal with. The college student had no clue how to handle his mentor yet.

Instead, they sat in silence, eating the rest of the food and looking anywhere but each other. It felt uncomfortable.

By the time they finished the last of the meal and were scooping up the last grains of rice in silent desperation, Kageyama was the first to break the silence. “How’s writing?” It sounded more like a grunt than a question.

“Fine.”

The intern nodded. “The special edition’s cover looks good.”

“If Kuroo designed it, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

Kageyama looked offended. “ _I_ designed it.”

“Oh. Then I suppose I’ll ask Akaashi how much the sales have lowered after this month.”

“Fucking- Damn you, Tsukishima.”

They fell back into moody silence again, the writer fully aware that he blew any chance at conversation. Not like he meant to. It was just easy to snipe back at Kageyama knowing full well that the intern would blow up as usual. The guy had practically a nub rather than just a short fuse.

Kuroo was snoring soundly, his face squashed against the wooden table. Tsukishima wondered how his friend stayed so charismatic. Despite their different personalities, the designer and his protégé still stayed on relatively good terms. Kageyama only ever seemed comfortable around Kuroo and even though they bickered, it wasn’t the way Tsukishima and the intern did, full of barbed insults and malice.

On some level, there was nothing inherently _wrong_ with Kageyama. The guy wasn’t a dunce nor did he have trouble working. Tsukishima was sure that there were plenty of people in the world like him. For some reason, he and Kageyama could just never get along properly.

“I prefer being at work than being at school.”

The writer looked up when Kageyama started talking suddenly again. The intern seemed pained, as if every word was said with effort, but for some reason he kept talking.

“I don’t exactly talk to anyone at school.”

_What’s going on?_ Tsukishima thought warily, tensing. He had no clue what Kageyama was going on about and even if he did, he wasn’t sure what to say in return.

 “Oh,” he settled on.

Kageyama nodded. “I’m young and already secured with an internship. Some people hate me for that.” It was understandable, but Tsukishima still couldn’t catch onto what was going on. “The only people I really talk to are the guys on my volleyball team and the people at work. But my volleyball team doesn’t particularly get along with me either.

Tsukishima’s mouth opened, intending to let another insult slip out but he stopped himself. Kageyama was opening up, as highly uncomfortable as it was for both of them, and even a jerk knew that it wasn’t fair to pound nails into opening wounds.

“I think it’s because I’m a great setter and the team just sucks.”

It was an _effort_ to keep any insults from falling out instinctively at that point.

“If this is your life testimony, Kageyama, I’m not sure why you’re telling it to me,” Tsukishima said slowly, carefully choosing his words.

The intern looked just as confused as Tsukishima felt. “Because there’s no one else to tell.”

Tsukishima definitely understood that, at least.

He studied the disgruntled man before him with the smallest twinge of sympathy. Before he met Kuroo, there was no one he could talk to. Sometimes even telling Kuroo was a struggle. His brother was off doing who knew what in Tokyo and his parents had never really been his go-to’s. He was alone, much like the intern was right now.

Looking down at his empty plate, he sighed. _Venturing into uncharted territories,_ he thought, recalling a phrase he had read in some random book before. _Paving a new path even in the strangest of places, even in the oddest of ways._

“You have Kuroo to talk to,” he started off.

_Meeting the wildest of people._

“Bokuto and Akaashi are always open ears.”

_Recording the bravest adventures._

“And... You and I aren’t _that_ different,” he muttered.

_Living the entire time._

Whoever the author of that book was had to check their priorities because Tsukishima didn’t exactly feel like he was ‘living,’ talking to the other man like this.

Kageyama looked at him in scrutiny, as if trying to figure out if he was lying or not. Tsukishima did his best to not look like he was glaring. It was a struggle.

The intern looked away. “Thanks,” he mumbled. “How’s your life?”

It was a familiar question, one that everyone at work asked Tsukishima on a daily basis. His answer was always a simple ‘fine.’ But now, now that some sort of string had been forged between their canyon of discrepancies, the most Kageyama deserved was a legitimate answer.

“Good, I guess. There’s not much going on in my life.” _A lie._

The intern nodded, pushing around the extra sauce on his plate with the end of his chopstick. “So do you just make up the stories you write?”

The question struck the writer as a curious one. Kageyama had bridged the gap between his life and his stories quickly. “I put the experiences in my life into the stories I make,” Tsukishima said truthfully.

“Are you working on anything right now, then?”

He hesitated on the question. Thinking back to his struggle earlier that day on just _starting_ something, Tsukishima wasn’t sure what to say. He definitely did want to start something, especially since his recent work had been sent off to Kuroo for editing. Sitting around idly without anything to write made Tsukishima antsy.

“Yes. It’s still in the planning stages though.”

“Oh, cool,” Kageyama said, and he actually sounded just a bit interested. “What’s it about?”

_Quick. Come up with an idea,_ any _idea. You’re a writer, fucking bullshit something!_ “Spirits,” he blurted out. “It’s a story about a spirit world.”

The intern didn’t stare at him skeptically like Tsukishima assumed, nodding instead. “Cool. What happens in it?”

_What happens in it? What’s supposed to happen in it? Who’s the main character? Side characters? Conflict? Antagonist? Plot twist-_

He shut down all and every writer thought that popped into his mind. This was Kageyama he was talking to, not his editor or publisher. Anything he said would probably just go in one ear and out the other. Tsukishima began to slowly drag certain thoughts together.

“The main character’s a spirit. He kills people.”

“Woah. Morbid, much?”

Tsukishima shrugged, the story unfolding in his head. “But he doesn’t want to. He’s a part of this organization that kills to save and the story’s conflict is person versus self. He hates who he is.”

One look told him that Kageyama was hooked.

“He’s been trained to fight but can’t bring himself to do it, even though he believes he can. Everyone supports him but he doesn’t exactly see it. He holds too much self-doubt.”

Tsukishima closed his eyes, watching the scenes move in his mind.

“When he died, he was a young doctor, saving lives with his father. He returned as a spirit and wanted to continue doing the same. But there’s no point in saving people that are already dead so he was at loss of what to do with himself. There was only so much encouragement he could take before he started to feel like he was being pitied.”

A flash of freckles. The splay of stars.

“There’s a street that he likes to go to and a restaurant that he loves. It’s the only place he feels comfortable being himself, where no one cares enough to judge him. When the street holds festivals, he’s usually one of the people that enjoys it the most.”

The thudding of his heart felt like the pounding of the drums. Maybe he was tired; he hadn’t slept in _hours_.

“Eventually he meets a mortal who was stupid enough to stumble into their area. He was going to try killing him, since that was his job, but he couldn’t do it. The mortal ended up saving _him_.”

Memories of a flying bottle and the shouts of Edgesiders filled his mind.

“The mortal hated the spirit world. It was too dark, too unreal. He wanted out of it as soon as possible. But the spirit wanted to do everything he could to try and persuade him otherwise. He took the mortal to his favourite restaurant and let him try his favourite food. He showed the mortal his favourite shops and bought him little trinkets to say thank you for saving his life. He showered the mortal in gifts and attention, trying his best to prove that his world wasn’t so terrible.”

It was silent across the table save for Kuroo’s heavy breathing. Tsukishima opened his eyes, feeling his chest tighten.

“The mortal realized that he was wrong. Everything he thought about the spirit and his world was wrong. It was beautiful and he wanted more of it. More than his own life outside of the spirit realm, even. The story shifts there,” he said, fingers beginning to sweat as truths began to form at his lips.

“It shifts to the mortal and to what _he_ wanted. He enjoyed the organization the spirit was a part of and he wanted to become friends with everyone there. He liked spending time with the insecure spirit and swore to himself that he’d do what he could to help him realize his potential. He realized that the spirit was the reason he began to learn how to enjoy his life.”

“Um, hey, Tsukishima.” Kageyama’s hesitant voice completely cut through his thoughts, Tsukishima’s story coming to a screeching halt.

He looked up, seeing a healthy dose of hesitance and wariness in the intern’s eyes. “What?”

“Sounds like a really cool story but, uh, if this is some sort of fucked up projection of yours or some ‘based off a true story’ shit-“

“It’s not,” Tsukishima said immediately, eyes narrowing. It was his fault. He spoke too much and too openly. He didn’t even notice when he just let the words flow; usually it only happened when he was plot-developing with Kuroo. The fact that Kageyama was able to witness him this open and this _vulnerable_ , it made Tsukishima want to clam up even more.

_Too much, too much, too much. I said too much._

Kageyama looked unconvinced. “Right. It’s an interesting story, though.” He said and his words sounded truthful. “I didn’t know you wrote fantasy.”

“I write a lot of things,” he muttered, still trying to keep his head from reeling. What did he say? What things did he admit? Fuck, he couldn’t even remember. _I bet I looked like a total fool._

“How’d you get that idea, then? If it didn’t actually happen.”

Tsukishima wanted to glare at the intern for phrasing it like that, but he knew that it was a plausible question. How _did_ Tsukishima come up with the idea? What would be his excuse? There was no way in hell he was going to tell Kageyama that everything he said was the honest truth. Not only would be completely disbelieved but he’d look like a total idiot as well.

“I heard a song once and it just sparked a story in my mind.”

“Nice. What song?”

Tsukishima was drowning and he scrambled for any stray thought to grab onto. “Moonlight Station,” he said lamely.

“Never heard of it.”

“It’s by an obscure band.”

“I’m not surprised you listen to shit no one listens to.”

“I’m not surprised no one listens to your shit.”

There was a tiny pause where they glared at each other before Kageyama snorted, rolling his eyes, and Tsukishima let out a barely-amused snicker.

“Hey, I’ve got a…question.” The intern looked uncomfortable and Tsukishima suddenly felt wary. He wasn’t used to this ‘polite’ Kageyama no matter how open they were to each other at the moment.

“What?”

The intern fiddled with his chopstick. “If you ever write that story, can I make the cover art for it? You know. Just to practice or something.” With every word the other man’s head seemed to dip farther into his chest.

Tsukishima stared at him, wondering what caused this request to come into Kageyama’s mind. He might doubt the intern’s ability to design _now_ but… it would still be a while until he got around to actually writing _any_ story anyway.

“Sure.”

“Seriously?” Kageyama looked up, shocked.

“If it looks like shit, I’m getting Bokuto to fire you.”

“I-It won’t!” came the heated retort. “It’ll look great.”

Tsukishima raised a brow. “Then sure. Fine. Do whatever.”

Kageyama looked surprisingly relieved, rubbing at the table with a few fingers. The hint of a grin was tugging up at the corner of his lips and Tsukishima really did not want to see what Kageyama looked like when he smiled.

“Kuroo. Oi. Wake up.” He kicked his best friend under the table, watching him snort into wakefulness, jerking upright. “I want to go home.”

The designer rubbed his eyes, looking around blearily and obviously still drunk. When his eyes landed on Tsukishima, he pouted deeply. “Carry me to the car-“

“Like hell I will. Kageyama is driving you.”

The intern spluttered protests and Kuroo tried to stand up, failing miserably. He fell onto Tsukishima’s shoulder and the writer sighed as he supported his friend. “I hate your stupid bar nights, you know?” He muttered, hauling Kuroo towards the door. Kageyama followed them with his hands shoved in his pockets.

“No you don’t,” Kuroo said sleepily, poking at his cheek repeatedly. “It’s your favourite time of the week. Right, Tobio? It’s both of your guys’ favourite time of the week?”

The only answer he got from either of them was a deep sigh as they walked out into the night air.

However, Kuroo never got a denial.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If this chapter feels slow, it's because it's introducing a new arc to the story :) I know, I know, 'where's the antagonist?!' Well, we're still on chapter eight so just be patient :D


	9. Set The Wrong Thing On Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright here we go! Chapter 9!
> 
>  **Quick Info:** So! University has started again for me, (second semester, let's go!) therefore there is a possibility that the writing of these chapters might slow down a bit. I am wholeheartedly determined to finish this before the school year is out but please bear with me as I also have numerous other things to focus on this year! Thank you  <3
> 
> Another thing, this chapter has a very large time lapse in the middle so please beware unless you find yourself suddenly confused at the sudden time change!

 

By the time Tsukishima had ensured Kuroo’s safety in the questionable hands of Kageyama, he had come home with the moon rising high in the sky and the street devoid of life. Though their little ‘heart to heart’ was definitely interesting, Tsukishima wasn’t sure if he would willingly open up to the intern like that ever again.

Thankfully, Kageyama had reverted back to his prickly self within seconds after Kuroo slumped over him in the car. Tsukishima had sent them off with a ‘cheerful’ farewell.

The exhaustion that he had pushed away came back full force now, causing him to yearn for his bed like it was nobody’s business. It was already hard enough at work, trying to come up with story ideas on zero sleep and thoughts of festivals still bouncing around in his head. Accidentally giving his whole spirit spiel to Kageyama was a mistake as well.

Honestly, however, he was still in a good mood. Dragon Night had left such a lingering impression on him that even now, he wished he was back at Karasuno, alongside the other spirits. The thought scared him but he ignored its rationale. He was just someone who enjoyed the event and wanted to go to more…right? He was just grateful that he knew someone like Yamaguchi to bring him along to these events or else Tsukishima would’ve never known they even existed.

 _It’s good for a writer like me to get experience with all these otherworldly opportunities in order to put them into my stories_ , he concluded.

But when he stepped into his apartment and heard the familiar sounds of a video game being played on their TV, he wondered where things now stood between him and Akiteru.

 _That morning was…nice,_ he admitted, quietly entering and dropping his keys on the counter. The crash from the game hid the sounds of him shuffling about. Even if Akiteru had gone absolutely ballistic over his disappearance, it was still nice to know that he was thought of.

Not that he doubted Akiteru _didn’t_ think about him but...knowing his brother and his wishy-washy antics, Tsukishima wouldn’t be surprised if his priorities were a bit all over the place.

That morning had been intense and shocking but also reassuring. His brother still wanted to fix the broken bridge between them and they had taken their first step towards a better relationship. How to completely fix it, Tsukishima wasn’t sure how. But if there was one thing he could do, it was to allow Akiteru to continue with whatever _he_ was doing and simply follow along.

 Akiteru was intently focusing on the video game when Tsukishima stepped into the living room, brows furrowed and fingers flying on the controller. It was one of Tsukishima’s own games but due to his work and preference to write rather than play, his consoles had stayed untouched until Akiteru’s arrival.

The older brother didn’t even notice his presence until Tsukishima dropped to the ground right next to him, an extra controller in his hands. Akiteru startled so badly that the screen dribbled with the ‘game over’ sound.

“Kei-!”

“Start over,” the younger brother simply said, gesturing to the TV. “Put it on two-player.”

He was trying not to look at Akiteru because if he did and saw the shock that was most likely evident on his face, Tsukishima would feel the strangest urge to ramble. He didn’t even know what _about_. But Akiteru had that weird effect on him. So, it was better to just do the thing and let his brother question it at a later time and date.

Luckily, Akiteru was able to regroup quickly and immediately turned back to the screen, clicking the right options and restarting the game. Without hesitance, they launched into another battle.

 _This is also nice,_ Tsukishima thought absently as he and his brother repeatedly attacked their opponent. The tiredness of his body still tugged at his muscles and protested whenever he did a quick maneuver on the controller but he forced his body to comply. Akiteru’s loud exclamations next to him felt comfortable and familiar, much like they did when they were younger and played these games late into the night.

“Kei, you’ve gotta use the special power when you’re in a situation like that or else you’ll get cornered.”

“Oh, okay.”

It didn’t feel awkward or strange and Tsukishima actually found himself wishing that every night since Akiteru’s return had been like this. This peaceful, brotherly camaraderie made him feel more at home in his apartment than he ever did when he was living alone.

“Aki-nii, there’s too many of them over here.”

“Alright, give me a sec.”

The old nickname came out so naturally and smoothly that neither man noticed it had even happened. Tsukishima slumped backwards, his back hitting the couch as he pulled his knees up and rested his controller against his thighs. The figures on the screen before them were violently fighting for their lives and Tsukishima tiredly maneuvered around a large opponent.

“This guy kind of looks like my old boss.”

“Oh?” The words barely registered within Tsukishima’s tired mind. Akiteru sounded just as sleepy as him, though. “A grotesque ape sort of thing?”

Akiteru snorted but nodded. “Terrible guy. Annoying as hell.”

“What’d he do?”

The older brother sighed, leaning back against the couch as well. The glow of the screen lit their faces with a variety of flashy colours. “Treated all of his employees like they were trash. Even upper management didn’t like him.”

“Why wasn’t he fired?”

“He was. At the same time our branch was closed down and we were all laid off. Upper management wanted nothing to do with _any_ of the employees involved with him, apparently. They saw our entire branch as a ‘bad stem’ and chopped it right off.”

Tsukishima let out an understanding hum before stilling for a split second. His character on the screen nearly got creamed by a wide-open punch.

Akiteru was telling him what had happened in Tokyo, the reason for why he was back here with no job and no money and bills piled up to the high heavens. This was the explanation that Tsukishima desperately wanted and did _not_ want at the same time. But it had come out so naturally and there was nothing he could do but sit and listen so he steeled himself up for imminent disappointment.

“That’s unfortunate,” he replied quietly. “What happened then?”

Akiteru let out a long sigh that mirrored Tsukishima’s own whenever he felt particularly stressed but did not want to show it. He chanced a glance at his brother and saw his brows knitted.

“I tried to get another job in another branch but the word spread like wildfire and all of the administration knew I was part of the ex-branch. Didn’t get jobs there.” Akiteru waved his hand dismissively as his character recharged. “Went around but apparently I wasn’t too focused on what was going on outside of my work. A ton of companies were shutting down because of various reasons. Tokyo’s economy is currently in a dump.”

Tsukishima knew about that. It was in the papers and the news how company situations were all sorts of whack and the government was scrambling for a solution. It was another one of the times that he was thankful he was part of a small-yet-alive independent company.

“That sucks,” Tsukishima said and he meant it. Finding a job was hard enough but finding a job in Tokyo in the middle of a mini-crisis was even worse sounding. “What happened then?”

“I fell into depression.” The statement, blunt.

He looked over at his brother, brows riding high past his glasses frames. Akiteru could be forward, yes, but confessions like this were rare in the Tsukishima family. “What?” he asked, incredulously. _Tsukishima Akiteru, sunshine of the family and Mr. Optimistic…Depression? That doesn’t fit. It still doesn’t. I can’t see it._

Akiteru shot him a guilty looking smile and Tsukishima wanted to smack it off his face. He had enough with seeing that expression and it was starting to annoy him.

“Yeah,” his brother said with a hesitant laugh. He rubbed at his neck with his eyes still on the screen. “It sucked. I had no clue what happened. One minute I had a good job and the next, no branch wanted me and no company even bothered with employee applications.” His face looked hooded and his eyes screamed with regret. “It’s hard living in Tokyo without a job so…money went down the drain just paying for rent and food and then some weird phase where I thought I could just do everything, get everything…” Akiteru’s voice cracked slightly and Tsukishima stiffened. “Then the banks came hounding.”

Tsukishima looked down at his controller, hands tightening around its bright white case. The game was on pause in front of them and he knew that Akiteru had done it. His older brother was rubbing his eyes with a few fingers tiredly.

“For two years?”

Akiteru looked like he had been shot in the chest. “I…yeah. Yeah, I told you, it was bad.”

“It’s terrible.”

His brother lowered his head. The conversation was starting to sound like the one so many weeks ago when Tsukishima first found the invoices. _I don’t want that to happen again,_ Tsukishima thought quickly. “So why’d you come back?”

“It’s not like I wanted to depend on you, Kei, I know that you’ve got your own life here and-“

“Aki-nii,” Tsukishima said firmly and finally they realized what had been said. Surprise flickered in Akiteru’s eyes and Tsukishima tried his hardest to look as casual as possible. “It’s fine. It’s whatever. But why’d you come to me?”

Akiteru looked away, fiddling with the controller. “I didn’t want to ask our parents for help and… I did miss you. I had things for you that I wanted to give you when I came to visit but…” An even worse expression breached his brother’s face. “They were all repossessed.”

 _Shit,_ Tsukishima thought. _Shit. He’s had it hard. And not even rough but_ horribly hard _._

“Sorry, Tsukishima. I told you, I’ll be out of your hair soon enough. The publishing company pays well and I’ve been looking around for apartments.”

“No,” Tsukishima cut in, staring down at his hands and wondering what the fuck he was saying. He knew that his brother was probably looking at him in confused surprise. “You don’t have to.”

“What? But-“

“I’m sorry.” Akiteru quickly silenced at the apology. “About before. I never let you explain. But now you did and you had a really rough time and didn’t realize so…I’m sorry.” _That was a shit apology. Terrible. I can’t even-_

His brother was quiet beside him before there was a ruffle of sound. Tsukishima barely had the chance to look up before a body was slamming into him, arms tightening around his chest as Akiteru squeezed him tightly, his face pressed against his younger brother’s shoulder.

“Aki-nii-!?”

“ _Thank you_ ,” Akiteru said and Tsukishima stopped talking when he heard the warbled tone of voice. He felt emotions bubble within his own chest that he was scared to tap into. “Kei, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry I turned out this way. But thank you. Thank you so much. I will do everything I can to repay you.”

 _I missed him,_ Tsukishima realized suddenly, feeling Akiteru shake slightly, wetness appearing on his shirt. His brother had always been an easy crier. _I didn’t just miss the games or the company. I missed him._

He dropped the controller and with slow hands, he reached up to grip the sleeves of Akiteru’s shirt. Comfort had never come easily to him and the most he could do was allow his brother to weep silently to him, but the closeness between them was a wonderful feeling.

“You’re my brother, Aki-nii,” Tsukishima said quietly, biting his lip aggressively _just in case_ tears decided to betray him as well. “Like hell I’d let you face this alone.”

The arms around him tightened and Tsukishima returned the squeeze wholeheartedly.

\------

Weeks flew by terrifyingly fast. The cool autumn air slowly turned frigid and peoples’ breath puffed out before them. Scarves were knotted at necks and hats were shoved over heads. Commutes to work included the heater on high and the kotatsus were pulled out with the heat on full blast.

The world turned white and Tsukishima found himself with a routine.

It was a comfortable routine, if he had to say so. Slowly but surely, the writer’s ability to function on just a few hours of sleep began to sharpen. During the day he’d go to work or sit around at home playing video games with Akiteru whenever he had off. His story was in the making, page by page getting churned out during his break times at work. Kageyama was a permanent fixture over his shoulder, much to his slight discomfort, commenting on certain scenes and trying to paint the picture out verbally as Tsukishima wrote.

To say that Bokuto, Akaashi and Kuroo were quite surprised at the change of events was an understatement. But Tsukishima always made it a habit to _immediately_ refute Bokuto whenever his boss called him and the intern ‘friends.’

If Kuroo didn’t drag him and the rest of the guys out for drinks, Tsukishima would find himself in his car heading straight for the forest. Akiteru thought that he had other commitments and in a way, he did. Being part-spirit was certainly a commitment.

Whoever was on shift that night would greet him by the forest’s edge, walking and talking with him all the way back to Moonlight Station. Tsukishima didn’t mind the company, even if it was someone as loud as Hinata who asked incessant questions about the current mortal world at the speed of light. Sometimes it would be Tanaka and Saeko, excitedly talking about whatever happened that day at the center or at Yokohama. On days that Yachi and Kiyoko were the ones to pick him up were relatively quiet. They talked about work and Tsukishima still wasn’t sure how he felt about such a sweet-looking girl having the ability to kill him in seconds.

All of their schedules, Tsukishima never bothered to memorize. Whoever came was what he had to deal with for that evening walk to the station. However, the one person’s shift schedule he _did_ memorize was Yamaguchi’s.

Those were his favourite and least favourite evenings. It was great because seeing the freckled spirit’s face as soon as he stepped into the forest was like a breath of relief. Yamaguchi was neither overbearing nor too shy around him and they talked about things ranging from Tsukishima’s experiences with Kuroo that day to the new dish at Ukai’s restaurant. The one downfall to it, however, was that because Yamaguchi was on shift, he wasn’t at the center the entire night.

That meant that Tsukishima had to deal with Suga and his _merciless_ training alone.

The swords master was, somehow, possibly the next nicest person aside from Yachi yet was still able to make Tsukishima feel like he had fought with the Devil himself. Every time he landed on his back, Suga would flutter all over him making sure he was okay even though nine times out of ten Tsukishima would come home with new bruises. He was getting better though, Suga said.

Daichi would sometimes stop by to watch training or even join in himself and _that_ was usually a nightmare. Suga was definitely stronger than the chief, but with the duo paired up and working together it was almost like stepping into deep, shark-infested water with no oxygen tank and a dead seal in your hands.

The most interesting thing that struck him when the three fought, however, was how much Suga allowed Daichi the main stage. They had very similar weapons, with the chief’s differing only by the long metal chain. But despite Suga’s strength and obvious finesse, whenever Daichi lashed out to attack Tsukishima, the grey-haired spirit would always step back. Yet  whenever Tsukishima went for an open hit on Daichi, Suga would suddenly appear with the ferocity of a wild animal, protecting the dark-haired man with full strength that sometimes left Tsukishima feeling winded.

Needless to say, without Yamaguchi there to chuckle at Tsukishima’s misfortunes during training, they proved to be hard evenings to get through.

That was Tsukishima’s normal schedule, a routine that had been forged into perfection by continuous visits back and forth from the forest and Akiteru’s slowly fading questions on why he had new sores and bruises.

The days passed by quickly, morphing together in a strange but wonderful combination of training, video games, work and Yamaguchi.

Then, the day of the Fire and Forest Carnival came upon the forest.

\------

“I’ll be gone tonight,” Tsukishima said the moment he walked into the apartment after he got back from work, beelining it to his room. Akiteru poked his head out from the living room.

“The whole night?”

“Yeah. Gotta go somewhere.”

The leer on his brother’s face made him uncomfortable as he brushed past him and entered his room, throwing his work bag on his desk and digging around for his usual Karasuno-pack. He had gotten in the habit of bringing a mortal bag just in case the spirits insisted he bring anything from the spirit world back with him. Everything blue and misty was shoved in his closet, away from his brother’s prying eyes.

“Seeing someone?” A waggle of brows.

“As if,” Tsukishima sighed, although he couldn’t deny that a certain freckled spirit popped into his mind at the question. Pre-festival excitement flowed through his body and even Akiteru’s annoying snickers didn’t bother him. “Just going somewhere.”

“Wiiiiiiith?”

“Aki-nii,” Tsukishima said, trying to keep the desperation out of his voice. He shot his brother a look, though, and Akiteru waved his hand.

“Kidding, kidding. Have fun and don’t do anything stupid.”

Tsukishima rolled his eyes as he shouldered his bag. “Who are you now, mom?”

“I could be. Be safe and use a condo-“

“ _I’m going,_ ” Tsukishima said immediately, shouldering past his brother and heading straight for the door before anything more embarrassing fell from the older man’s lips. “Bye.”

Akiteru was laughing, a sound that was becoming more and more frequent within their apartment. “Bye, Kei!”

Wrapping his scarf tightly around his neck as he gingerly stepped into the cold evening air, he looked out towards the forest with excitement in his chest. Yamaguchi told him all that he could about this festival and even with his shallow descriptions, Tsukishima was curious to see what ‘lighting the forest on fire’ meant.

By the time he had trekked over and arrived at the edge of the forest, a certain familiar face was barreling into his chest, exclaiming loudly.

“TSUKKI!” Yamaguchi all but screeched, gripping at his arms and grinning idiotically even though he had _just_ seen him yesterday. “DO YOU KNOW WHAT TONIGHT IS?!”

“I have no clue,” Tsukishima replied evenly, trying to ignore that warm sensation that gripped his body as Yamaguchi pressed up close. “Literally zero knowledge.”

“Don’t be like that!” Yamaguchi scolded playfully, batting at his arm while Tsukishima blinked owlishly. “Everyone’s excited! Aren’t you?”

He _was_ excited. He would never admit it, but he wanted to guess that he was probably the _most_ excited out of anyone in the center. Maybe even Yamaguchi. Or probably because Yamaguchi. Who knew? The point was that he was excited.

“Relatively,” he said to answer Yamaguchi’s question and that seemed to satisfy the spirit whose grin seemed to widen. “Are we leaving soon?”

Yamaguchi nodded. “Yeah, but we’re waiting for you. It’s no rush, really! It’s still early, anyway. Saeko’s got your clothes.”

“Alright,” Tsukishima nodded. “Sounds good.”

They got to Moonlight Station and boarded the trolley that was patiently waiting for them, the sign clicking down to show their destination. As Yamaguchi chattered on about how the day went at Karasuno, Tsukishima listened half-heartedly, eyes focused intently on the spirit.

He and Yamaguchi had gotten quite close over the span of the changing season. There were no longer any harsh exchanges between them save for every once in a while when Yamaguchi would snap at him for being insensitive to people at the Center. But even those moments were ones that Tsukishima treasured. Opening their bond had become a frequent event, usually whenever Tsukishima was at the Center, allowing for the two of them to learn how the other worked on a deeper level.

Tsukishima learned that Yamaguchi felt insecure about a lot more things than just his recruiting and the most startling one was his freckles. The trait that Tsukishima found himself staring at constantly was something that Yamaguchi felt off about, his quiet emotions letting Tsukishima know that sometimes he hated his appearance.

If only he were good at words, Tsukishima would do and say everything he could to banish the thought from Yamaguchi’s mind.

The spirit also got excited very easily no matter what the situation was. Sometimes Tsukishima would be in the middle of training with Suga when a sudden rush of adrenaline would overcome him and he would find himself with the advantage over the swordsmaster for a few seconds. After questioning the spirit afterwards, it would end up being Yamaguchi simply freaking out over the new craft Yachi had made or Nishinoya’s antics in the weaponry.

While the idea of having someone else’s feelings continuously bombard him still sounded like a horrible situation, Tsukishima found himself enjoying these random bursts of emotions that were purely ‘Yamaguchi.’ Sometimes he wondered what emotions the spirit felt from him, seeing as the bond worked both ways. He made sure to keep his feelings in check, not wanting to overwhelm the spirit unintentionally, but he didn’t doubt that he had bursts of emotions as well.

_The moments that Yamaguchi got a peek into that I didn’t know about…when were they? Would he ever tell me if I asked?_

“-ki? Gosh, you really need to stop spacing out like that.”

Tsukishima blinked when he realized Yamaguchi was staring at him with a frown. _I fucked up. I’m sorry. What did I do wrong? Shit._ His feelings worsened when Yamaguchi’s eyes widened.

“Woah, Tsukki, relax. I’m not mad or anything. Gosh, are you okay? You feel like a storm.”

“I-What?”

Yamaguchi raised a single eyebrow before standing. “A storm. You just suddenly freaked out when I called your name and your emotions went all haywire. Everything alright? We’re here by the way. You weren’t paying attention.”

Tsukishima looked up to see that indeed, they had arrived at Karasuno. He had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t even noticed when Yamaguchi was literally in his face, repeatedly calling his name. _And_ he had released his dramatic emotions like that. God, he was such a mess.

“Sorry, I was…thinking.”

Yamaguchi chuckled as they stepped off the trolley. “You know, for someone who acts really nonchalant, you actually have very intense emotions, Tsukki.”

The mortal looked at the spirit sharply, brows narrowing. “No I don’t,” he instinctively denied.

But the freckled man simply nodded, shrugging easily as they walked into the Center. Tsukishima was bombarded with frantic ‘hello’s’ from passing spirits. “You do. You say really stoic things but I could sense your excitement from across the forest.” Yamaguchi shot him a cheeky grin. “You’re _reeealllyy_ excited for the festival, aren’t you?”

Tsukishima felt like he had just been stripped apart. He weakly looked at the spirit before him, trying to maintain a semblance of neutrality. “I… Yeah,” he said lamely, excuses escaping his mind.

Laughter fell from Yamaguchi’s lips. “It’s alright, I’m excited that you’re excited.”

Saeko’s loud voice could be heard before she could be seen and Tsukishima braced himself for the impact. In less than a few seconds, the older Tanaka sibling was rushing into the entrance, clothes in her arms once again.

“YOU!” she yelled when she saw Tsukishima.

“Me.”

“Here you go, Tsukishima!” Like last time, a bundle of clothes was tossed into his arms. “I trust you can change yourself properly this time. Yamaguchi, make sure he doesn’t take too long!” She bounded off immediately, screeching for Nishinoya. The weapon maker’s answering call was heard from across the Center.

“Busy,” Tsukishima commented as he studied the clothes in his hands while he and Yamaguchi wandered off to the changing room.

The freckled spirit nodded and hummed. “As it always is on festival day. Everyone wants to look good.”

Tsukishima couldn’t refute that statement, seeing as how he wanted to make sure he looked presentable as well. In the dressing room, he unfolded the kimono, a tiny grin appearing on his lips. He couldn’t help it; they looked _cool_. He also had to admit that Saeko was able to choose great designs.

Unlike the orange blossoms that showered his first kimono, this one was a midnight blue, not unlike Yamaguchi’s own. It was another gradual fade of design from the bottom up but this time there was a mountain scenery that adorned it with clouds scattering all over the cloth. _It’s the Hida Mountains,_ he thought with interest, his fingers trailing against the snowcaps. But there were small things that differed the mountain range from its current appearance such as the addition or lack of a mountain here and there. _It’s Hida from old eras. Long before I was born. Amazing._

“Tsukki? Saeko told me to tell you not to take too long. You’re taking too long.”

Unable to stop the short laugh that burst forth from his chest, he quickly changed, calling out a quick ‘I’m ready.’ Yamaguchi was smiling faintly when he stepped out, adjusting the belt at his waist.

“That looks nice on you.”

“Thanks. You look good too.”

His cheeks threatened to burn when he realized he had complimented Yamaguchi rather than his choice of clothes. But the spirit didn’t seem to realize and if he had, he didn’t question it.

“Thanks! Let’s go!”

All of Karasuno bustled onto the trolley from Karasuno and off of it by the time they reached Yokohama. Much like last time, the lanterns were up and the street itself was bustling of people. Tsukishima breathed in the familiar scent of aromas emitting from various restaurants. He didn’t go to Yokohama as often as he went to Karasuno. He knew that it was a permanent fixture within the spirits’ lives, having little trips to and from the popular street. But with his tight schedule and demand for at least a few hours of sleep, training with Suga took up most of the energy that he could’ve expelled at Yokohama.

So this was a luxury.

“Have fun!” Daichi called out in front of Sakanoshita and everyone immediately dispersed. Instead of going into the restaurant, however, Yamaguchi gripped his sleeve and tugged the other way.

“We’re going to meet up with some people from Nekoma!”

Memories of cats and stags and rabbits filled his mind. “Why?”

“Why not?” Yamaguchi countered as they weaved through the streets. “We’re going to eat with them and Hinata first.”

Tsukishima didn’t question it, instead deciding to take the time to look around once more as Yamaguchi guided them towards their destination. He saw a jewelry shop as they passed by and his attention was directed down towards the cuff that the spirit had on his wrist, dutifully covering up their spirit bond.

After that one time in Yokohama, they didn’t touch each other like that again. The action felt intense – too intimate – for just a casual thing to do. When they did, Tsukishima was filled with a sensation of warmth that his body could never forget. It felt right and addictive, something that he was afraid to look deep into. It wasn’t even like they were holding hands or anything, since Tsukishima would just be stupidly gripping Yamaguchi’s wrist… _But would I get to do it again tonight?_

“Yamaguchi!” A voice rang out and Tsukishima looked up to see Hinata’s familiar face bobbing up and down as he tried to look over Lev’s shoulder who was effectively blocking him. Yaku and Kenma were there as well, the latter looking distressed as usual while Yaku gave him a short wave.

“Hinata! You ran off without us,” the freckled recruiter said once they reached the small group. “Kenma, Lev, Yaku! Nice to see you again!”

The three gave him affirmative replies while Tsukishima simply dipped his head. “Hey.”

“Ohhhh!” Lev said, moving forward to get into Tsukishima’s face. The mortal bit the inside of his lip as he kept his stance. “You’re that guy from Dragon Night! You’re the one Juju was talking to!”

 _She was talking to me?_ Tsukishima thought warily as he thought back to the deer that was simply staring into his face before Lev leaped into her.

Apparently, his question was evident on his face. “Yeah, yeah!” Lev said, nodding his head quickly. “She said you looked kinda weird and I told her that was impossible but deers can be dumb sometimes so just excuse her! Haha, she said you looked like a _mortal_!” The shifter spirit cackled loudly, completely unaware of the paranoia that froze Tsukishima’s body.

Luckily, Yamaguchi and Hinata joined in on the laughter, ensuring that what sounded like a joke stayed like a joke. “That’s ridiculous,” Hinata said, shaking his head and wiping his eyes. He had a persuading appearance, Tsukishima would admit. “I didn’t know deer were that funny.”

“Yeah,” Yamaguchi chimed in, grinning. Tsukishima felt his chest throb in gratitude. “I wish I could hear Juju talk.”

Tsukishima forced out a small ‘tch’ and a signature roll of his eyes to show that he wasn’t taking Lev’s claim seriously. The stag simply looked amused. “Idiot deer.”

“I love her but I won’t deny that, Tsukishima!”

When the mortal felt an intense stare placed upon him, he looked down to see Kenma looking at him, his feline eyes seemingly boring into his soul. He looked away before he felt inclined to say anything that could spark the wrong questions.

“So, food?” Yaku said, cutting in. “Are we going to do food? Let’s get food.”

“Yeah, food!” Hinata exclaimed, pumping a hand into the air. “Where do you guys want to go?”

“Some place with a lot of food that can be made quickly,” Kenma said quietly and Tsukishima glanced at him. The cat spirit was thumbing at his sleeves, a mannerism much like Yamaguchi’s.

The mortal quirked a brow. “Why? Hungry?” He inquired.

Kenma shot him a slightly miffed look as he shook his head, as if offended that anyone would think _he_ was hungry. “Yaku eats like a bear.”

“Which is hilarious because _Yamamoto’s_ the bear and he can’t even keep up with you!” Lev all but shouted, his laugh being cut off with a choke when Yaku’s arm found itself buried in his stomach once more. “Y-Yaku!” he whined.

“Shut up, _deer_. Let’s get food,” the rabbit insisted once more, and with that prompting, they were off.

They ended up at a restaurant not far from the lantern shop where they had all first met Tsukishima during the previous festival. It was large and rambunctious, filled with performing spirits and jingling bells, all paired with the sweet smell of food coming from the kitchen. Tsukishima’s stomach grumbled as Yaku tore through the building, throwing himself down at a seat at the largest table there.

“Yaku actually does eat a lot,” Yamaguchi whispered to him as they sat down next to each other, Hinata in front of them. Lev bullied his way into a seat next to Yaku while Kenma slid quietly next to the orange-haired recruiter.

“I want to believe you but…” Tsukishima said slowly, eyeing the rabbit who was staring at the menu as if he would eat _it_ if not served food soon.

“Just wait.”

And Tsukishima did. He waited until the waitress came over to ask for their orders and when Yaku successfully listed off _half of the entire fucking menu_ without batting a single eye, the mortal turned to stare at Yamaguchi with wide eyes. They didn’t even need the bond to feel confused shock rippling through Tsukishima’s body.

“Told you. He inhales it too. It’s kinda funny to watch.”

“That sounds disgusting.”

“Yeah, but it’s funny.”

Once all of their food arrived and they began to dig in, Tsukishima listened intently to the chatter at the table. Apparently, Nekoma was just as rowdy as Karasuno, a concept that Tsukishima tried to register. Kenma was in charge of everything, although there was nothing much to ‘do’ as chief other than making sure everyone was taking care of their animals properly. Because of that, the shifter spirits were usually off in the forest for long stretches of hours, spending time with their animals in their own natural habitats.

“Can I have that if you’re not eating it?” Yamaguchi reached over with his chopstick to poke at a piece of untouched chicken on Tsukishima’s plate.

The mortal’s eyes narrowed at the unsanitary usage of the eating utensil. “I mean, you might as well take it now. You’re gross, Yamaguchi.”

The spirit ignored the remark and plucked the chicken off his plate, flashing him a toothy smile. “Thaaank you~” he sang.

Tsukishima sighed, pushing over the entire plate towards him. The spirit crowed in delight and Tsukishima tried not to memorize the sound. He had been memorizing an alarming number of things about Yamaguchi lately.

“You’re welcome.”

“Tsukki is really nice,” Yamaguchi commented, his mouth full of food. Tsukishima tried so _fucking hard_ not to find it that endearing. He failed miserably when Yamaguchi gave him a chipmunk smile. “You’re really nice to me.”

“Emphasis on the ‘to me’ part.”

The spirit swallowed, washing it all down with water. “Are you admitting you give me special treatment?”

 _Wait. Shit. No that’s not what I meant to say. But it’s not a_ lie _I just…Fuck._

Yamaguchi seemed to be able to sense the gears running at full force in his head and he laughed, reaching over to nudge him with his elbow. “Relax. Seriously, you’re too tense today for some reason. Is there something wrong?”

 _Nothing’s wrong. Nothing’s_ wrong _-wrong. I just want…something to happen. At the same time I don’t. And I’m scared?_ Words that Tsukishima would never dare to say out loud.

“It’s nothing,” he assured the spirit. “Just excited for the festival is all. Can’t wait for the fire part in particular.”

The recruiter smiled happily at the reminder. “Oh yeah! That part happens soon. It’s really cool and I know the _perfect_ spot to bring you to show you.”

“Ooooh!” Hinata suddenly said, slamming his hands on the table and leaning in towards the two of them. He had ripped himself away from the argument Yaku and Lev were having about who was going to have the last bun. “Yamaguchi you’re bringing him all the way over _theeere_?”

Hinata’s antics didn’t surprise Tsukishima, but Yamaguchi’s sudden blush did. He even felt in in their bond, a sudden _pulse_ of fear at the idea of Hinata spilling information that shouldn’t be said too soon.

“Hinata! Shush! Shhh!” Yamaguchi said quickly, waving his hands in front of the other recruiter’s face, shaking his head rapidly. “Don’t tell him! It’s a surprise, damnit!”

The smaller recruiter looked stunned at his friend’s immediate reply but he regrouped quickly and flashed Tsukishima a very knowing grin. _How worrisome._ “Oh, _oh!_ Okay, okay, sorry! Have fun! You should probably get going now though, if you want to steal the spot first.”

Yamaguchi glanced out the window of the restaurant, startling at whatever he saw outside. “Oh god, you’re right. Tsukki! We need to go now!” The recruiter turned towards the Nekoma spirits and waved a hand. “We’re going ahead! I’m going to show Tsukki something, so we’ll see you later!”

“Oh, okay! Bye Yamaguchiiii!” Lev said, flailing his arm around in farewell. Yaku ducked as he nodded. “See you, Tsukishima.” Kenma simply gave a quiet ‘goodbye.’

Tsukishima tried to avoid Hinata’s stare and smirk as Yamaguchi all but pulled him away from the table and out into the street. Only once they were by themselves did he open his mouth to ask. “What was Hinata-“

“Okay it’s over here!” Yamaguchi nearly yelled, talking over the mortal. Tsukishima blinked in surprise. “We’re going over here!”

The spirit looked anywhere but at him and Tsukishima narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Wherever they were going, apparently it was embarrassing the spirit. Hinata’s reactions and words were enough to tell. But Yamaguchi still looked determined for some reason, leading Tsukishima through the crowd with quick steps.

Unwilling to back down, Tsukishima dived inwardly for the bond, seeking out any clue in the emotions for what was to come. He was surprised when he felt nervousness tinging the edges of Yamaguchi’s excitement. There was no embarrassment though, he found. _Where are we going?_

Yamaguchi lead him off the main road and Tsukishima was reminded of the river he was taken to during Dragon Night. However, this time they had no lanterns or paint. Wherever Yamaguchi was bringing him this time was a mystery.

“May I ask…”

“Nope.”

“Okay.”

The road they went on was smaller and more quiet, a few children scurrying here and there trying to get to the main street. Tsukishima followed silently behind Yamaguchi, watching him pause every once in a while before turning down another road that led them farther and farther away from the festivities.

_And this is a place that has the best view? How far away is it?_

Suddenly, the street stopped and the forest started. Tsukishima had the feeling that they might be in Yokohama, but they were definitely not on the street. The ground beneath his feet turned into soil and the light of the street faded. The forest was dark and quiet, completely contrasting the joyous feel of the festival.

“Yamaguchi…” he said in concern, wondering where on earth they could be headed.

“We’re almost there, Tsukki. I promise.” The spirit sounded so sure of himself that Tsukishima couldn’t bring himself to question once more.

By the time Yamaguchi stopped walking, they were in the middle of the forest, Yokohama’s sounds having completely disappeared. They had been walking for minutes and when they ‘arrived,’ Tsukishima looked around warily.

“Good! No one’s here.” The recruiter had his hands on his hips as he surveyed the land around him.

“And that’s…good?” Tsukishima asked, peering around as well. It was hard to see anywhere past the first few trees close to him and even the sky was completely covered by the thick leaves and branches.

“It’s fantastic,” Yamaguchi replied matter-of-factly, grinning at him.

Tsukishima walked over to the nearest tree, peeking around its trunk. Still nothing. It was just forest. “Why were you so nervous to bring me here?” He asked, frowning when his sleeve got snagged by a branch.

“Oh, you could feel that?”

The mortal looked up to see Yamaguchi looking at him with furrowed brows. The spirit was biting his lower lip and his fingers had found the corner of his sleeves again, tugging them. Sudden worry blossomed in Tsukishima’s chest at the other’s nervous stance.

“I mean, yeah. But you don’t need to feel nervous. I just don’t understand why. We’re only in a forest. Though I don’t know what we’re going to see here…”

“Oh, we’ll see a lot. Come over here, it’s starting soon.”

Tsukishima raised a single brow but obediently listened, walking over to Yamaguchi’s side. He looked off into the forest in the direction that the spirit was and they stood silently, staring into the darkness.

“Yamaguchi-“

“I know, Tsukki. I keep saying random things and not explaining but I swear, this is worth it.”

“No, it’s something else.”

The spirit looked up at him and Tsukishima felt his heartbeat quicken. Even though the forest was dark and he could barely see Yamaguchi’s face, those familiar brown eyes were still wide and looking at him in question. The same eyes that haunted him every work day, interrupting his work and filling his thoughts.

“What is it?”

Using the darkness to take control of his rationale, Tsukishima reached out to slide a few fingers into the soft hair of the spirit. Yamaguchi’s eyes widened and he stiffened before him but Tsukishima didn’t pull away. Instead, his fingers came to rest against the back of his head, pushing hair back.

“You’re nervous. Stop being so nervous. It’s just me.”

A startled laugh fell from Yamaguchi’s lips and Tsukishima could feel the bond waver slightly. Yamaguchi’s eyes darted away as the fingers at his sleeves tugged even more. Tsukishima felt worried. Yamaguchi had never really been like _this_ before and as much as he wanted to chalk it up to this hand in his hair, Tsukishima knew it was more than that.

“Don’t say that, idiot,” Yamaguchi said, eyes staring over Tsukishima’s shoulder. “It’s because it _is_ you, Tsukki.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” he muttered, studying the spirit’s face. There were traces of worry and fear and nervousness all around. He had no clue what happened. One moment they were just trekking through the forest and then the next, Yamaguchi looked like he wanted to be anywhere _but_ there.

The spirit sighed, reaching up to pull Tsukishima’s hand away from his hair. Yamaguchi let his fingers go but Tsukishima immediately tightened them, much to the spirit’s faint surprise.

“You don’t need to,” the recruiter said, shaking his head. “Plus, you can just check the bond or something. I’m sure you can figure it out there.”

Yamaguchi’s words were slowly taking on a bitter edge and the concern in Tsukishima’s chest started to increase. He did something wrong. Or maybe he was _doing_ something wrong. But he didn’t know _what_.

_What do I say? I’m so confused and Yamaguchi’s never this cold. Check the bond? I can’t even decipher any of the emotions._

“I’d rather you tell me what’s wrong,” Tsukishima said firmly, squeezing the spirit’s hand. Yamaguchi’s eyes flickered towards him momentarily.

“There’s nothing _wrong,_ Tsukki. I don’t know what you’re making this all out to be. I only brought you out here to show you the Fire and Forest part of the festival. You’re acting weird.”

 _No, no, you’re wrong._ You’re _acting weird. There’s something more. There’s obviously something more and I want you to tell me._

Tsukishima tugged Yamaguchi closer, forcing the spirit to look directly at him. “Then why out here? Why not with the rest of the town? Why’s this the best spot?”

“B-Because it _does_ have the best view,” Yamaguchi argued, eyes darting all over his face, as if trying to find the crack in Tsukishima’s determination during this interrogation. “You’ll see if you just pay attention to the _forest_ and not to _me-“_

“But all I want to pay attention to is you.”

The stillness of the forest was nothing compared to the speechlessness that Yamaguchi had fallen into. Tsukishima’s breathing quickened at the confession that he _definitely_ did not mean to say and Yamaguchi looked so shocked that he didn’t even look like he was breathing.

“Yama-“

“It’s starting, Tsukki, look.”

The spirit stepped back the moment a loud roar filled the forest and Tsukishima jerked his head up to look around. Far in the distance there was a rush of sound and heat and with wide eyes, Tsukishima watched as the forest was lit on fire.

Every tree seemed to catch on fire as light jumped from branch to branch, flaring so brightly that it almost seemed like daytime. The entire thing happened in a wave and once the fire began to spread closer to where Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were standing, the mortal realized with a jolt of shock that there were lanterns hanging off the branches of every tree.

But as the fire roared and the trees burst into light, all Tsukishima could do was twist his head to look at Yamaguchi.

The spirit was biting his lip, brows furrowed even as he watched the incoming wave of fire. The bond felt sensitive. Almost as if he sensed the gaze, the spirit looked at Tsukishima with worry in his eyes. “Tsukki, look, it’s coming this way and you’re going to miss it if you don’t pay-“

“I _told_ you, all I want to pay attention to is you.”

When Tsukishima gripped the cuffed wrist of the spirit and dragged him closer, pressing their lips together in a kiss that was too chaste, too uncoordinated, too _perfect_ , the fire that blazed around them could not compete with the burst of warmth that exploded in Tsukishima’s chest.

\-----

“I can’t believe I did that.”

“Well, I can, but I guess that’s not the point.”

“I can _not_ believe that I just did that.”

“Tsukishima, people do a lot of things they regret-“

“I don’t regret it.”

Yaku fell silent. The rabbit spirit was sitting next to Tsukishima on the sidewalk, listening while the mortal spoke with his head in his hands. Yamaguchi and Lev were in the shop behind them, shopping around for small trinkets under Yamaguchi’s orders.

After that kiss in the forest, many things happened at once.

First, Yamaguchi completely shut down his end of the bond.

When Tsukishima pulled away, hoping to see something good in Yamaguchi’s eyes, he was met with a completely blank expression and an even worse feeling. He could feel _nothing_ from Yamaguchi. Their bond had been completely cut off and shielded, almost as if the spirit was piling up barricade after barricade on his end of the bond.

Next, there were less than ten words exchanged starting from the walk back to now.

Other than Yamaguchi’s flat ‘it’s done. The forest’s lit. Let’s head back,’ Tsukishima figured that anything he said would probably be used against him so he stayed silent, trying to figure out the mess of emotions that were rolling around his own chest. It felt like horrible rejection but what confused Tsukishima was _why_ it felt that way. Yamaguchi… had always been fond of him it seemed. Or was Tsukishima over thinking completely? Assuming way too much?

Finally, it seemed like Yaku knew _exactly_ what had happened when they found them coming out of the side street, opting to stick around and ‘show Tsukishima around’ while Yamaguchi and Lev shopped.

He didn’t even have to tell the rabbit anything before Yaku was urging him to sit down.

“At least you don’t regret it.”

Tsukishima rubbed his face, eyes staring at the ground. He wasn’t sure what he felt. Sadness? Disappointment? Anger?

“But he seems like he does. He won’t even _look_ at me.”

Yaku’s silence was enough for him to guess the answer. Tsukishima sighed and groaned loudly, ignoring the fact that it was completely uncharacteristic of him to ever look this distressed. It was Yamaguchi’s fault for messing him up this much. And after successfully fucking up with his emotions, the spirit had to damn go and close himself off as well! Where the _hell_ was the fairness in this situation?

“Yamaguchi’s a lot of things right now, but I don’t think he’s mad at you.”

Tsukishima silently noticed how Yaku still didn’t say that Yamaguchi didn’t regret the kiss. It wasn’t even that fantastic of a kiss to begin with. It was too dry and he had no clue what he was doing. Yamaguchi had even stood frozen solid. It was awful.

_Liar. It was amazing._

“Whatever. This is all a mess now.”

“It’s not,” Yaku said, stretching his legs out in front of him. People milled around them, ignoring the duo sitting on the ground. “You can fix it.”

“I highly doubt that.”

Yaku sighed, reaching over to shove a fist lightly into his shoulder. Tsukishima rocked slightly to the side. “Yamaguchi’s a very sensitive guy. You’ve gotta be really careful what you do around him. Timing’s also pretty important.”

 _A kiss in a festival? Alone together with pretty lanterns around us? ‘All I want to pay attention to is you’? How was that_ not _perfect timing?! It’s practically textbook-perfect!_

“He hates me now.”

Another snort. “You know, Tsukishima, for someone as boring as you, you seem to get dramatic really easily.”

“Hey! What the hell?” A foreign voice.

They both looked up to see the face of a large spirit glaring down at them. He was obviously drunk. Tsukishima sighed, not wanting to deal with this right now. Yaku looked just as irritated.

“You can’t just fucking sit in the middle of the road! I almost tripped over you!”

Yaku glared up at him. “We’re sitting on the side of the road and you should’ve been watching where you were going. Everyone else seems to be doing fine avoiding us.”

The drunk spirit looked enraged and he shoved a finger at the shifter spirit. “You little bastard, you watch your mouth!”

“Shut the fuck up about my height.”

If they weren’t getting harassed by drunk spirits, Tsukishima would’ve smirked at Yaku’s insistence to defend his height.

“You shut the fuck up-“ The spirit grunted when Tsukishima immediately stood up, throwing a hand out to stop the drunk man from lunging at Yaku.

“We’ll leave,” he said, hating how his mess of inner emotions was forcing him to submit to the guy’s temper. His usual snarky comebacks were gone from his mind and he couldn’t think up anything. “Sorry to bother.”

The drunk spirit glared at Tsukishima. “Like hell you will, thinking you can just say sorry and walk away. Fight me! You started this and you better end it!”

“Tsukishima-“

“Come on, Yaku.” Tsukishima shoved the man away, no intention to fight in his action. But the drunk spirit grew more furious at the treatment and grabbed his wrist with an iron hold.

“OI! DON’T YOU FUCKING WALK AWAY!”

The mortal glared at him as severely as possible and reached out to grip the drunk man’s hand with stronger fingers. “Let go.”

“Like hell!” There was a small scuffle of dominance when Tsukishima was finally able to pry the man’s fingers off his wrist. But the man curled his fingers in a last desperate attempt to hold on, hooking around the bracelet on Tsukishima’s wrist and tugging. It broke off with a loud ‘snap!’

The crowd around them froze and Tsukishima’s heart began to pound even faster than it did with Yamaguchi in the forest. The broken bracelet was being held in the drunk man’s fingers while his eyes were staring at Tsukishima with horror slowly filling them.

“Y-You…You’re…You….”

_Shit, shit, shit, shit, FUCK-“_

Even Yaku was silent next to him, eyes probably as wide as saucers.

“A MORTAL?!”

Someone screeched within the mob of people and suddenly there was a dash of movement. People began to scramble away from him with shouts of fear, ‘a mortal, a mortal,’ bouncing around their lips.

The drunk man in front of him took a hesitant step back before flinging the bracelet towards him with a shout. “Get the hell away from me!” he screamed, turning tail and sprinting away.

Tsukishima grabbed for the bracelet quickly, clutching it within his hands. The wispiness of the spirits disappeared the moment the stone came in contact with his flesh but the damage had been done. To avoid the possibility of making a spectre, all the spirits had run away from him, frantic shouts leaving their mouths.

“Yaku-“ he started, spinning around to look at the shifter spirit but the rabbit had taken many steps away from him as well, confused fear in his eyes.

“Tsukishima, what the hell are you?”

The shouts must have alerted the spirits within the shop because a few seconds later, Yamaguchi was busting out with Lev hot on his heels.

“Tsukki!?

“Yamaguchi-“ The spirit froze when he heard the yells of the spirits around them. His eyes widened when he saw the broken bracelet clutched in the mortal’s hands.

“Shit. _Shit_. Tsukki, come on. We need to find Daichi.”

Lev was worriedly asking Yaku what was wrong as Yamaguchi grabbed his hand and dragged him down the street. Spirits fled out of their way and Tsukishima tried to lower his head to hide his face. He still couldn’t feel Yamaguchi’s side of the bond but the way he was gripping his hand with white knuckles was enough for him to realize that the recruiter was just as scared as he was.

They ran down the street swiftly, avoiding spirits who yelled and pointed. The entirety of Yokohama was in turmoil, rumours of a mortal and a spectre showing up on the street. The spirits were frantic.

“I’m sorry-“ Tsukishima tried to say but Yamaguchi shook his head curtly as they dashed towards the Sakanoshita restaurant.

“You can’t come back, Tsukishima,” Yamaguchi huffed as they arrived at the store. The news had reached here as well and spirits were spilling out of the restaurant. Tsukishima’s shock at Yamaguchi’s words almost made him miss Daichi running out and seeing them.

“What? What are you talking about? What do you mean I can’t come back? To Karasuno?”

Yamaguchi hesitated at the question, waving frantically when Daichi called out to them. He looked at Tsukishima with sorrow in his eyes and Tsukishima felt like his world was falling apart.

“I-I don’t know. You just need to go and… and you can’t come back.”

\----

_“Daichi, please-“_

_“I’m sorry, Tsukishima. It’s for the best. We’ll let you know when you can come back but for now…It’s best if you just lay low in the mortal world. We need to let this die down and if rumours are going around that Karasuno is possibly making spectres, then you’re not safe here either.”_

_“Okay, but still. What can I do? I have to do something-“_

_“There’s nothing.”_

_“But-“_

_“Yamaguchi will let you know when it’s alright to come back but for now…please just trust us. And please just stay there. It’s for your safety and for ours as well. I hope you understand.”_

_“…Fine.”_

\-----

_“Yamaguchi-“_

_“I’m really sorry this happened, Tsukki. This wasn’t supposed to happen.”_

_“Yamaguchi, I’m-“_

_“But Daichi’s right. You need to stay there at home. I’ll… I’ll let you know through the bond or something, I promise.”_

_“_ Tadashi _, please. Just let me-“_

_“I-I’ve gotta go! They’ll probably need to talk to me. You can walk back to the edge of the forest from here, right? I’m sorry. I’ll see you again, alright? Stay safe.”_

\-----

Tsukishima stepped onto the gravel road of the mortal world, turning back to stare into the depths of the forest. It was still late at night, dawn only a few hours away.  

For the first time since he had stepped foot into the forest, he felt spite towards his mortality.

           

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehe... I'm sorry? XP 
> 
> Kudos and comments appreciated!


	10. Wraith of The Shade

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 10! We are officially past the halfway mark for this fic, my god that's so exciting. Also, things are roollliinnggg~
> 
> This chapter is dedicated to my beautiful and great beta, Amber, because her favourite character makes a dramatic entrance and that's the most I can do in gratitude xD

 

“You used a different format for the header again; you’ve gotta make sure – hey? Kageyama. Oi.”

“Oh, sorry. Shit, right, I’ll fix that.”

The intern quickly focused back on the computer screen, fixing the error. Kuroo was leaning back against his own chair, arms crossed against his chest as he watched Kageyama work distractedly.

They were silent, the only sounds in the building were the clicking of Kageyama’s mouse and the tapping of Tsukishima’s keyboard from across the large room. Bokuto’s door was closed shut with Akaashi no doubt behind it as well.

While the magazine company has had plenty of silent moments in its length of existence, there were very few times where the silent felt tense. Now was one of those rare moments.

“Worried?” His mentor’s voice had dropped low.

The intern glanced up momentarily. “No,” he replied, not even having to guess what the other man was referring to. Everyone had sensed it and it was growing worse and worse with every passing week. It was as if a large black cloud had taken residence within the building and even though it wasn’t threatening to storm, it was still foreboding.

Kuroo snorted, looking at his desk and stretching a leg out to nudge the cabinet underneath. “Well, I am. Fucker’s never been like this for so long.”

Kageyama knew Kuroo was worried. He was obviously not going to admit it in front of Kuroo but he _was_ worried too. Worried about what was happening.

Worried about Tsukishima.

Ever since that one day, practically a month and a half ago, their resident article writer had drastically changed. At first, Tsukishima had walked into work with an odd feeling around him. His movements were jerky and he looked nervous for the first time since Kageyama had first met him. He continuously fingered his necklace and bracelet and when spoken to, his words were quieter than usual. He looked continuously distracted.

But with time, even that changed. His moods grew sour and it was far worse than the usual sarcasm that Tsukishima usually exhibited. The writer didn’t exactly turn aggressive and when Kuroo asked him even the simplest of questions, Tsukishima answered properly. However, he still looked like he wanted to destroy the world, speaking to everyone curtly.

To say that their small company was a little worried was a horrid understatement.

Tsukishima wouldn’t even tell them what was wrong or what had happened. Akiteru had noticed as well, knowledge that they had attained when Akaashi took the initiative to see if everything was alright between the brothers. Turns out things were great between them but Tsukishima was still acting strangely.

When the editor tried to coax the reasons out of him, a skill he was actually quite accomplished in, Tsukishima seemed to clam up even more, effectively surprising them all. _Everyone_ talked when Akaashi comforted them.

Now, more than a month had passed and no change had happened in the writer’s demeanor. He was still working impeccably, churning out articles and getting the word out for his own personal stories like his mood was no issue. Tsukishima was working just as good, if not better, than he was before. But none of it was boding over well with the rest of his coworkers.

“Maybe he ate something bad.”

“Kageyama, that’s just stupid.”

The intern shot his mentor a peeved look. “What, I’m not his keeper, okay? I don’t know. You don’t know. Bokuto or Akaashi don’t know and he won’t fucking spill. At this point I don’t even care what’s wrong with him.”

Kuroo sighed, waving his hand to make sure Kageyama’s voice didn’t rise any louder than it had. “I know, I know,” he whispered, dropping his head onto the desk with a quiet thud. Tsukishima’s diligent typing didn’t pause. “It’s just…”

He trailed off but Kageyama knew exactly what he meant. Though the intern wasn’t Tsukishima’s best friend like Kuroo was, the two designers still didn’t like how the writer seemingly continued to live his life all while in a slump. There was only so much they could do, offering more frequent nights out or opportunities to talk but Tsukishima turned down every single one. Even when they got him decently drunk a few weeks ago and Kuroo practically barged into personal topics, Tsukishima brushed him off effectively.

“He’s getting ridiculous,” Kageyama muttered, finishing the editing and pushing the mouse away. Kuroo leaned in to check. “He’s being a drama queen.”

The designer reached over to flick at his temple. Kageyama hissed quietly. “Shut up. You’re dramatic too sometimes.”

“No, I’m not! You just give me ridiculous work and-“

“It’s work that gives you experience!”

“What kind of experience requires editing _cat photos onto_ -“

“Excuse me.”

The two designers immediately shut up, jerking upright and spinning around when Tsukishima’s voice cut in smoothly through their argument. The writer was holding papers in his hand and studying the two men before him with a single brow raised. Everything looked normal and because of that, it _wasn’t_ normal.

“Tsukishima,” Kuroo said, shooting him a bright grin that naturally wasn’t reciprocated. “Can I help you?”

The writer shifted his gaze away from his friend to the intern and Kageyama stiffened. Though they had been talking a little bit more, he wasn’t exactly sure what they would consider themselves. Tsukishima had been very adamant on making sure the ‘friends’ label was never established and personally, Kageyama was more than fine with that. But even still, what with Tsukishima’s current mood and attitude, who knew what the writer thought of him now?

The bespectacled man held out the papers towards him and Kageyama stared. “It’s the next chapter,” he said simply, ignoring Kuroo’s questioning gaze.

Ever since that bar night where the two of them were left to talk without Kuroo’s mediating presence, a sort of agreement had been forged between them. Tsukishima would write, Kageyama would visualize. The chapters that were finished would find their way to the designer’s hands, ready to be read over and imagined.

Kageyama was honestly surprised that Tsukishima trusted him this much with his work but he would take anything he got at this point.

“Oh. Thanks. I can put together something and have it to you by the end of the week.”

There was no real reason for Kageyama to do what he had been doing for Tsukishima’s chapters. He wasn’t an artist, so it wasn’t like he could sketch out the characters or even the scenes. All he could do was provide Tsukishima with a ‘reader’s visual’ and the writer would usually edit his work from there, changing it to what he wanted it to look like in peoples’ minds. The idea boards and aesthetics were purely for fun and an excuse to get out of Kuroo’s dumb cat edits.

Speaking of which, the designer squinted at both him and Tsukishima at the exchange. “What are you making Kageyama do, Tsukishima?”

An uninterested glance. “Nothing,” was his easy answer. “But I should probably be asking you what _you’re_ making him do. Cat photos, Kuroo? Really?”

Kuroo spluttered, slamming a hand on the desk as he straightened up at the accusation which was not wrong. “I told him, it’s just _experience_ -“

Tsukishima was rolling his eyes and putting down every single thing that his friend was saying but Kageyama could still see the tightness around the writer’s shoulders and the way his fingers flickered almost subconsciously towards his dumb bracelet. The intern didn’t even think he was that observant at all so to see all of that so clearly…it was worrisome. Very worrisome.

Even long after Tsukishima walked away, leaving the two designers to their own business, Kageyama could still feel the trailing sensation of sadness that lingered.

\------

Yamaguchi was… not happy.

Well, he was plenty of things at the moment and while he wouldn’t necessarily call himself _sad_ , he was definitely not happy.

Giddiness would have been the correct term to describe him weeks ago.

Now, it was more like a weird and convoluted mash up of irritation and confusion and anger and…and regret.

Yeah. There was plenty of regret.

If anyone asked him asked him what exactly he regretted, many things popped up in his mind at once. But the one that took first place in his mind as an answer to the question…

_I regret ever meeting Tsukki._

It was a terrible thought, Yamaguchi was well aware. It was horrible and made him feel nine types of sad. Throughout this entire time, he had never thought that there would be a moment where he’d ever regret meeting the mortal and bringing him into his spirit world. He thought that it had been a gift, even, to have Tsukishima’s presence in his life and influencing him in such different and exhilarating ways. And it had been, he would definitely admit that much.

But now… Now, things have drastically changed.

To get one thing straight, Yamaguchi _did not_ regret the kiss.

Or at least, the lack of one from his end.

You couldn’t exactly regret something you didn’t do and Yamaguchi didn’t exactly kiss him back. _So_ , his logic was that there was nothing to regret, therefore he could easily say that he didn’t regret it.

Unfortunately, it all just wound back to his number one regret, which was meeting Tsukishima.

Long story short, Yamaguchi and Tsukishima _could not_ be together.

It was a realization that thundered ominously in his chest during Dragon Night when Tsukishima had wished for his peace and held him close during the dance. The feelings of happiness and wonder had engulfed Yamaguchi so much that it overwhelmed him. _This is what I had been searching for,_ he had realized with alarm, that night when Tsukishima’s arms tightened around him long after the drums of the dance had faded away. That acceptance into someone else’s life despite being who he was. The way Tsukishima just seemed to take Yamaguchi’s faults and twist them something beautiful…Yamaguchi wanted to cry when he realized the horrid truth.

It wasn’t that the relationship was forbidden. There weren’t any rules in the spirit world stating otherwise since mortals didn’t exactly go wandering around, trying to find a spirit to kiss and fall in love with.

Yamaguchi just knew that his decision was the right one. It was completely unfair to Tsukishima if the spirit decided to pursue this relationship because not only was Yamaguchi _dead_ , but he was eternally stuck to wander the earth. Tsukishima was a young mortal with a huge life ahead of him, filled with success and achievements and other opportunities at love that didn’t involve spirits who ‘killed.’

Really, it was just so bad of a thought to Yamaguchi that anger flared within him.

 _He was being unreasonable!_ He thought when memories of the kiss flooded his mind. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t fathom up a reason why Tsukishima willingly kissed him. Wasn’t the mortal smarter than that? _Not only is it impossible for him but it’s just…it’s just morally not right!_

Nothing that they had done was morally right, in the eyes of many. In fact, Yamaguchi was pretty damn sure that Suga and Daichi had noticed their closeness but had refrained from confronting him about it. It wasn’t hard to see how Yamaguchi and Tsukishima acted around each other; even a child could see the affection that sometimes sprung up out of nowhere, starting a staring contest between them while the bond went wild.

Okay, so maybe it was also Yamaguchi’s fault to let this happen. He had never pushed Tsukishima away explicitly until that one night where he just walked away, literally.

 _Still_ , it wasn’t a good idea. None of this was. Allowing Tsukishima to do...whatever he felt like just on the idea of affection and possible emotional reciprocation was a path that would lead to nothing good.

Yamaguchi was a spirit. Tsukishima was a mortal. Those two did not and will not work. The possibility of hurting Tsukishima in the long run was far too great because of Yamaguchi’s inability to do anything but _exist_ , really. And what would Yamaguchi do once Tsukishima died? That was a thought he had been ignoring since day one.

The door creaked open and his thoughts immediately sputtered in his head, coming to an abrupt stop. He jerked his head up to see a faint glimmer of light through the crack in the door. Yachi was peering inside.

“Yamaguchi…?”

The recruiter stiffened at the sound of his name on her lips. He was sitting in his room with the door closed and the curtains drawn. He could tell it was daytime but he didn’t want to do anything but sit in silence and mull over the same thoughts that had been plaguing his head since the Fire and Forest Carnival.

“Yachi? Gosh, it’s dark in here, sorry.” He made no attempt to move from his spot on the floor.

The smaller recruiter stepped in, sliding the door closed behind her. “It’s fine,” she said reassuringly, walking over and slowly sitting down in front of him, crossing her legs to mirror his position. “Is it okay if I sit with you?”

Yamaguchi stopped fiddling with the cuff on his wrist to nod. The rest of the center had witnessed the gradual change in his demeanor. After the tragic event of the entire spiritual world seeing Tsukishima for the first time, they had sent him off to stay in the mortal world for a while, much to everyone’s reluctance.

Tsukishima had been the angriest about it, almost yelling at Daichi for trying to force him to stay away. But no one could deny that the chief’s logic was sound. Tsukishima being at the center would be no protection to anyone.

Regardless, even if someone didn’t know about the kiss in the forest, they definitely noticed how off Yamaguchi would act whenever Tsukishima was brought up. Hinata definitely knew, seeing as he spent an abnormal amount of time around Nekoma’s spirits and probably heard it from Yaku. Tanaka and Nishinoya might’ve heard it from Hinata but if so, they didn’t say anything to Yamaguchi, thankfully.

Yachi knew because Yamaguchi told her the very next day in a fit of wild emotions.

“I’m sorry for being like this,” he groaned, dropping his head into his hands and rubbing his face. He felt awful, moping around the center and working his shifts halfheartedly. Daichi would always give him supportive looks or pats on the back and Suga would sometimes go easy during their training. But he still felt bad. “I don’t know why I’m like this. I don’t know why it’s so important.”

The other recruiter let out a soft hum. “I think it’s very important.”

Yamaguchi looked up in confusion.

“Don’t feel apologetic for being like this, Yamaguchi. No one can blame you because they don’t know what you’re feeling. None of us can relate.”

It could’ve sounded insulting but Yamaguchi knew it as the truth that it was. Yachi was right, _no one_ in the center had ever found themselves with mortal problem in their hands. No one could tell him what to do or what was the right thing to feel.

He sighed, looking away and running his fingers through his hair in frustration. “I want to reach out but I know it’s not right. Daichi told me to wait until it was safe… I just know that Tsukki’s probably getting more anxious each day.”

Yachi gave him an affirming hum and the girl rubbed her fingers on the floor absently. “Are you still mad at him?”

“…Well…yeah...”

He had told her that he was mad at the mortal for kissing him. It was Tsukishima’s fault for doing something so inherently stupid when there were so many things at stake. But when Yachi asked him if he didn’t like the fact that Tsukishima _wanted_ to kiss him, the recruiter couldn’t bring himself to say no.

 _I would have happily given him all the kisses in the world._ The thought alone made Yamaguchi want to curl up into a ball and hide for all eternity.

“Well, you have to go to Yokohama soon. Daichi sent me over to tell you.”

Ah, that’s right. On top of the monster of confusion in Yamaguchi’s chest, there was also another problem that had begun to slowly creep onto Karasuno since the Fire and Forest Carnival, erupting into a mess today.

A few days after Tsukishima had left, fear had struck the street in ways that no spirit would have ever expected. Word was that someone from _The Shade_ had come to Yokohama in search for the ‘spectre-maker.’ It wasn’t a spectre, or else it would’ve been destroyed immediately by other recruiters in the area but no matter who they asked, no spirit would willingly name it. Luckily, Karasuno wasn’t at Yokohama that day because who knew what could have happened. Yamaguchi was too frazzled to properly face anything and Daichi looked far stressed out to deal with anything from the dreaded Shade.

There was an agreement made, one made on very precarious terms. The _thing_ would come back and a small group from Karasuno would meet it. Their place of meeting would be at Sakanoshita. No other spirit had said that the thing from the Shade hurt or threatened anyone but it still just seemed to emanate such a horrible vibe that no one wanted to get near it.

Daichi, with his eternal sense of justice, could not stand to see other spirits feeling terrorized just by a thing’s presence and thus ordered that they absolutely must meet the thing from the Shade and finish this business immediately.

So that’s where Yamaguchi was going now, nervously picking at his sleeves as he reached the entrance of the Center and saw the small ensemble before him. Daichi and Suga both wore calm expressions and Ennoshita looked neutral, if not a bit apprehensive. The only other recruiter was Hinata who was busy making sure his _kama_ were fastened tightly at his waist.

 _Do we really need weapons if it’s a peace meeting…?_ Yamaguchi thought warily. He could see the telltale leather wrapping underneath Suga’s sleeve.

“All ready?” Daichi asked the group and at the affirmative, he ushered them all out the door.

The orange-haired recruiter fell into step by Yamaguchi’s side, patting his arm encouragingly. “It’s okay Yamaguchi! If that Wraith even tries to do something sketchy, I’ll make sure he gets a good one to the face!”

“W-Wraith?”

Hinata nodded. “Tanaka overheard it yesterday. Apparently whatever it is…it goes by the name Wraith.”

Yamaguchi bit his lip as they boarded the trolley, trying to mull over the new information. Wraith. He vaguely remembered that word from his mortal days. Neither spirit nor spectre yet still something terrible. Whatever they were facing was a wraith. Had they ever even heard of wraiths in the spirit world before?

“Daichi…” he started off, raising his head to look at the chief who was sitting across from him and Hinata, eyes closed and hands in his lap. It was a common stance for the chief but they all knew he wasn’t actually sleeping.

As expected, Daichi opened his eyes after his name was said. “Yes?”

The freckled recruiter flexed his fingers. “Is meeting this Wraith… is this going to be okay?” This event had been an anticipated one ever since they heard word from him. What would happen? What would be said? Daichi was wholeheartedly set against handing over Tsukishima to this Wraith but they had no clue what this person might do against them. For all they knew, they could be going home with injuries – a thought that Yamaguchi did _not_ want to dwell on. “If there’s a possibility that people could get hurt…”

Daichi’s face settled into a comforting smile as he dipped his head in answer. “It’ll be alright. It will most likely simply be negotiations. And if he doesn’t like our answers, we’ll deal with that when the time comes.”

Yamaguchi wasn’t going to admit that he didn’t like the sound of that. He wanted to deal with it _now_ , when they were all still safe and had the time to put together some sort of escape plan. But the chief was firm in his words and Suga nodded next to him, backing up the claim. At least they had a good fighting team. Daichi was strong, Suga was ruthless and Hinata was fast. Ennoshita was another strong figurehead of the Center and Yamaguchi realized with a start that he was sitting with the four founders of Karasuno.

 _I’m only coming along because Wraith wants me. I’m not strong and if worst comes to worst, Ennoshita would be the one protecting me in the back…_ His head lowered as more destructive thoughts filled his mind. _I’m so weak that I need our four strongest people to protect me._

A hand landed on his own and squeezed, causing him to look up to see Hinata’s face close to his. There was a set look in his eyes as he furrowed his brows.

“It’ll be okay,” Hinata said with such determination that Yamaguchi could only swallow. “If you’re brave enough to train with Suga, you’re brave enough to face the Wraith.”

There was a moment of silence in the trolley before the group dissolved into laughter, Suga protesting at Daichi’s side. It was small comfort, but it was comfort nonetheless and Yamaguchi could only shoot Hinata a grateful smile when the other recruiter winked at him.

Soon, the trolley rolled into Yokohama station and as the group walked out, they were met with a strange sight.

There was _no one_ in the street.

Suga looked upwards, ensuring that it was indeed daytime, and looked back down with knitted brows. Yamaguchi shared the same sentiment. Yokohama never ‘closed down,’ ever. It was a day to day cycle with restaurants churning out food and stores constantly selling their wares. Even if it was a slow day, there were still spirits seen to be milling around on the street, socializing with other spirits from different companies or areas of spiritual Japan.

So this…this was wrong.       

“Woah, woah, where is everyone?” Hinata asked loudly, scurrying across the street to the closest store, sticking his head in. There was a loud exclamation and they looked over at the recruiter who was standing in the doorway. “Shimada-san!” Hinata said and Yamaguchi walked over, looking in. To his surprise, the store owner was sitting in his normal chair at the register. “Where is everyone?”

The dark-haired spirit looked up, pressing his glasses up his nose. Yamaguchi realized he looked terrified. “E-Er, they all left not too long ago…”

Daichi appeared over their shoulders and Yamaguchi looked over at the chief. “They all left? What do you mean?”

Shimada rubbed his neck, closing his book and dropping it on the counter. He eyed the recruitment group warily and shot a glance towards down the street. “Because the Wraith’s here. Don’t you have to meet him? I think it’d be best not to keep him waiting.”

They were stunned. Shimada was a friend of Ukai’s and another connection to Daichi, an older man who was usually quite cheerful. Yamaguchi liked his shop, usually going to the Shimada Mart if he wanted a quick bite of something. To see him so nervous and uncomfortable made Yamaguchi’s fear of their current situation worsen tenfold.

“That’s right,” Daichi said grimly, pressing his hands down on Yamaguchi and Hinata’s shoulders, urging them to leave. “We’ll be on our way.”

Shimada gave them a quick nod before grabbing for his book again. Yamaguchi felt just as lost as Hinata looked as they resumed their march towards the restaurant.

“People are that scared of him, huh…” Hinata’s remark seemed to dampen the already-tense air around them. They all knew what it meant. If someone or some _thing_ could clear out a place like Yokohama street in a matter of minutes, then it was dangerous.

Sakanoshita seemed just as barren as the rest of the street. The doors weren’t flung open, inviting guests young and old to come in and try its food. Instead, the whole restaurant was closed shut and no smells radiated from its depths. Just the knowledge that Sakanoshita wasn’t cooking any food caused Hinata to gasp at his side.

Daichi stepped forward quickly, pushing the door open and leading the way inside. Ennoshita was the last in their little line and Yamaguchi stood in front of him, forcing his shoulders to stand straight. He hoped the fear on his face wasn’t too obvious.

There were two figures inside the massive restaurant, one familiar, the other not. Ukai was behind the counter, a washcloth in his hands as he rubbed at the wood. His face was downcast and his teeth were gritted and when Yamaguchi looked closer, he saw that there was a slight tremble in the hands of the restaurant owner. Ukai looked up when they arrived but instead of relief, there was only more anxiety that flashed in his eyes. They were quickly lowered again.

_Reducing Ukai and Shimada to this…what on earth could it be capable of?_

He peeked around Daichi’s shoulders to see who the second figure was, sitting at a table at the very back of the restaurant. The recruiter had to stop himself before he gasped too loud.

The Wraith was nothing that Yamaguchi expected. The first thing to note about him – it was a male, by the looks of it – was that his head was topped with flaming red hair that defied gravity on all levels. Yamaguchi at first thought that _Hinata_ had strange hair but this one…this one was wild. It just stood up completely straight as if magic itself was holding it there. Or maybe gel. But the spirits didn’t have gel.

The next was his odd clothing. It was all black except for a splash of white on his chest and Yamaguchi suddenly remembered that the clothing ensemble was called a ‘suit.’ _Where the hell did he get a suit in the spirit world?_ It looked to be in prime condition and the tie at his neck was knotted impeccably. There was a watch just peeking out from underneath one of the Wraith’s sleeves and Yamaguchi furrowed his brows. No one in the spirit world went to such lengths to look so prim and proper.

At their approach, the Wraith lifted his head and Yamaguchi was struck with even more distrust towards him. His eyes were large, almost probing, and the small smile that was resting on his lips made him feel uncomfortable.

“Helloooo~” the Wraith said in a sing-song voice, straightening up and tilting his head to the side so far that Yamaguchi automatically recoiled from its abnormality. He even sensed Hinata stiffen next to him. “Are you, ah, what’s the word…Torino? Recharge center or something, correct?”

Daichi kept his face stoic as he looked at the man before him. “Karasuno,” he corrected. “Karasuno Recruitment Center. And you are?”

The Wraith laughed at his mistake but it sounded off, almost maniacal in a way. Yamaguchi suppressed a shiver. “Oho! I apologize, I do~ Torino, Karasuno, close enough. Sit down, sit down!” He urged enthusiastically, throwing his long arms out to the display of chairs before him. While he was sitting on one chair on one side of the table, Yamaguchi saw with a start as five chairs were all lined up neatly across from him. _Did he know who was coming?!_

“And please, just call me Wraith. I know no other name~!”

He sat between Ennoshita and Daichi while Suga and Hinata placed themselves on the other side of the chief. The Wraith was humming, tapping his spindly finger on the table as they all situated themselves.

“My name is Sawamura-“

“Sawamura Daichi, chief of Torino Recruitment Center.” The Wraith’s eyes flashed dangerously. “It’s truly an honour to finally meet you.” The gaze then shifted to each one of them at the table and Yamaguchi could see out of the corner of his eye how the chief bit the inside of his cheek. “Sugawara Koushi. Swordsmaster. Goodness, you’re a lot smaller in real life, aren’t you? You look like you could break.”

The Wraith laughed at his own joke but Suga simply narrowed his eyes. “What are-“

“Oh no, no.” The voice effectively shut the swordsmaster up. Dark red irises that matched his hair fell into slits. “It’s not very polite to interrupt during introductions, isn’t it? You’re the politest of the bunch, Sugawara, I’m surprised at your rudeness.”

Suga looked absolutely offended and Yamaguchi had no doubt that harsh words would have begun to fly if it wasn’t for the hand that he could see on Suga’s thigh. Daichi was still looking straight ahead. “Go on.” The chief said. “We apologize.”

The Wraith giggled. “Very good. Now, let’s see…” He pointed a finger next at Ennoshita. “Ennoshita Chikara. You’re not very special.” The Wraith almost sounded disappointed at the statement but the man next to Yamaguchi didn’t change expression. “Ah well, even the boring ones have at least _some_ potential at fun.”

The finger moved, passing over Yamaguchi without a second thought. It landed on the recruiter on the far end of the table. “Hinata Shouyou~” The Wraith smiled even wider, tilting his head the other way. “Big mess in a tiny body. You’re fast, aren’t you?” The Wraith snickered. “I bet I’m faster,” he said in a childish tone.

“And finally, the man of the hour…” Fear sliced up Yamaguchi’s spine. Red eyes zeroed in on his spot and the Wraith pressed both his palms flat on the table, leaning in as if trying to study Yamaguchi even more. “Yamaguchi Tadashi. Spectre-maker – ah, no. You haven’t made one yet. I would’ve known.” The recruiter bit his lip so hard he could taste blood. This proximity was making him feel lightheaded. “You’re just a poor little spirit with a huge problem on your hands, aren’t you?”

The Wraith immediately backed up, splaying his hands from side to side as he rocked his chair slightly. “A problem that _I_ am very willing to help you solve! Great, isn’t it?” He cackled, ignoring the silence from the spirits across from him. “Good, good, introductions are done. Niceties are over. Shall we eat?”

Surprise rippled amongst their group as the Wraith straightened up, beckoning at Ukai, who was near the front. Yamaguchi heard the bang of the kitchen door and just as soon as he went in, Ukai was coming back out with platters of food in his hands.

“I think that the best way into a spirit’s heart is through their stomach,” the Wraith said casually, clasping his hands together when Ukai lowered the platters onto the table. Yamaguchi sorely wished he could ask Daichi what the hell was going on but he didn’t get to dwell on the thought much, as Wraith began urging them to eat. “Eat! Please, enjoy the food. It’s all on me, since you are my guests.” Yamaguchi was in the process of slowly reaching for a bun when he felt eyes land on him once more. “This is your favourite restaurant, is it not?”

Yamaguchi looked up with a start, frozen in place by the eyes that seemed to hypnotize him. He forced himself to nod. “I- Y-Yeah.”

 _He knows too much! He knows_ way _too much! How in the world does he know this much about me? About all of us?!_

“Good. I chose a place I knew you’d all be comfortable in. It’s easier to talk in a familiar atmosphere, right? That’s what I hear.”

The Wraith had a mountain of food on his plate while the spirits had either a single something or just a little over. Even Hinata looked wary as he munched on rice.

“Wraith,” Daichi said, trying to get the conversation moving. The domestics were too normal but obviously laced with malicious intent. Daichi was going to have none of it. “We heard that you came here once a while ago in search of us? I apologize for we were not in the area at the time. And thank you for meeting us here.”

The redhaired wraith laughed, waving his chopsticks dismissively. “Oh, it’s no problem,” he crowed. “It was nice to finally see the famous Yokohama street that all the spirits are a chatter about. It’s much, much nicer than I expected!”

Daichi let out a small hum in affirmative. “I’m glad that you were able to visit. You’re from the Shade, I heard?”

The Wraith nodded, chewing steadily. He swallowed and the table was silent, waiting for his answer. “Correcto~!” Yamaguchi wondered if it was possible that such a prim looking man could actually hold the body of a child within. “I am Wraith of The Shade. That little dark part of the forest that all you spirits know about but are too afraid to come visit! We get lonely, you know,” the Wraith pouted, pointing at Daichi. “Me and all my little spectres.”

Everyone tensed at the word and a clatter was heard from behind them, possibly Ukai who was still diligently cleaning. Yamaguchi could see from the corner of his eye as Suga shifted his arm into a familiar stance. With his two hands close together, it was quick and easy to unravel his weapon.

“So what they’re saying is true? You make the spectres?” Daichi’s voice sounded cold.

The Wraith looked eerily happy with the question. “Yes! And no. Truthfully, _I_ can’t make the spectres. You spirits do. All those rules and whatnot about touching mortals and stuff. Those don’t apply to me.” He wiggled his fingers in their direction, his grin turning sly. “I can touch _both_ of you without consequences.”

Yamaguchi took a sharp intake of breath. _Both? He can touch mortals and spirits? And not make spectres? Impossible…_ His surprise was shared by the rest of the group and even Hinata was staring at the Wraith in sick fascination.

“How?” Suga demanded, finally pushing himself into the conversation. “How is that possible?”

The Wraith turned a disinterested look towards the swordsmaster. “I don’t know,” he said shrugging. “I just can. I suppose it’s a perk of being a wraith. Would you like a demonstration?”

“Wha-“

There was a sudden clatter of noise and suddenly the chair beside Yamaguchi’s was clattering backwards and Ennoshita was shouting. The four other spirits stood up immediately but they froze when they saw what had happened.

Ennoshita was still in the chair but he and it had been pushed back flat against the ground. He was pinned down by the neck, arms and legs by black tendrils that seemed to come out from underneath the table. The spirit was groaning from his head hitting the ground hard and Yamaguchi felt panic rise in his chest. He whipped his head back towards the man on the other side of the table.

The Wraith was still sitting calmly, hands underneath his chin while he smiled a sickly grin. Yamaguchi perceived in horror something black and wispy emanating from his body, what looked like shadowy tentacles waving lazily behind his back.

“Chikara-“ Daichi said in a tight breath before he as well turned to look at Wraith with anger in his voice. “There is no need to use violence,” he demanded. “We came in peace and so should you-“

“I have noooo malicious intent,” the Wraith said, turning his head away like a petulant child and waving a single hand back and forth repeatedly. “I was simply showing you what I could do. You were wondering, weren’t you?”

Daichi shoved his seat back and threw himself down, placing fists on the table. “Let him go,” he commanded sternly.

“Sawamura, you know better than to just throw around orders to people who aren’t part of your-“

“Let him go.”

The Wraith sighed and rolled his eyes. The tendrils released Ennoshita and he gasped out a cough, rubbing at his neck. Yamaguchi knelt down immediately, helping him back up and into his chair. His hands were shaking terribly and he bit his lip. “A-Are you okay?” He whispered.

Ennoshita nodded, though looking murderous. “I’m fine,” he muttered, sitting back down in his chair and wincing as he rubbed his sore-looking wrists. “Let’s just get this over with.”

“What do you want?” Yamaguchi tried to speak as clearly as possible, turning to stare at the Wraith who suddenly looked very interested in the change of speaker. “Do you want me or something?”

Daichi looked like he was about to cut in but the Wraith threw his head back and laughed loudly, the sound grating on the recruiter’s ears. “You? Oh no, no, no. I don’t want _you_. You’re kind of useless.” Yamaguchi ignored the insult. That was something he had accepted long ago. “I want to _help_ you,” the Wraith explained slowly. “See, I know you have a mortal amongst you.” He waved a finger at the five of them, leaning back in his chair. “A mortal that you tried to hide but failed miserably at doing. Good job, by the way. However, I do congratulate your effort! It must have been hard to hide it especially with your popularity as a recharging center.”

Yamaguchi immediately stiffened and glared at the Wraith. “It’s not an ‘it,’” he all but seethed. “It’s a ‘he.’”

The Wraith’s brows raised high as his eyes widened. “Oho? Is it now? My, I’m sorry. I’ll be more considerate. What else is _he_ to you, then, Yamaguchi?”

The question completely threw him off guard. Yamaguchi stared at him, stunned. _What_ is _Tsukki to me? He’s my friend. He’s the one I’m bonded to. He’s someone who accepts me for me and doesn’t try and force me to change. He’s someone I admire, someone I like, someone I lo-_

“A-A friend.”

The wide-eyed head tilted to the other side. “Hmmmm? Well, regardless, I’m here to relieve you of your little problem.”

“He’s not a problem,” Daichi cut in smoothly, trying to divert the Wraith’s attention from Yamaguchi. “You don’t need to involve yourself in our business.”

“Goodness, Sawamura, do you always talk so coldly to people?” He shifted his gaze to Suga and leered. “Is he this cold in bed, Sugawara? I bet you’d know~”

The swordsmaster actually leaped from his chair, his _kyoketsu shoge_ unraveled and already in his hand. “Alright, fucker, listen up-“

Yamaguchi stared in shock at the sheer fury on the usually calm swordsmaster’s face that was only stifled when Daichi stood up as well, one hand clamping down on his lover’s wrist. “No, Suga.” He shot an icy look at the Wraith. “We will not give you the mortal. That’s our final word. If that’s all-“

“That is most certainly not all,” the Wraith said, shaking his head with a quiet ‘tsk.’ “Sit down, you two. It’s not nice to get up during a conversation.” Black writhing masses shot out from underneath the table, rising up behind the chief and the swordsmaster, slamming down on their shoulders and forcing them back into their seats. Suga gasped at the treatment and Daichi grunted. “There is no option in this matter,” the Wraith said calmly. The childish demeanor seemed to have disappeared. “I want what I want and there has not been a time I have been refused it.”

“Well, I apologize but this time will be the first.” Daichi sounded stern.

The Wraith shook his head again. “Look, Sawamura, this is for the sake of your little Center. The entire spirit world now knows you have a mortal in your hand and rumours are flying that you’ve basically gone and hoarded a spectre in your midst. Naturally, I had to come and check out this claim because if _anyone_ were to be hoarding spectres, it’d be me. So imagine the shock I had when I realized that it wasn’t a spectre, but a mortal! A mortal that has been spending an alarming time in your forest with your spirits. A bit too close for comfort, don’t you think?”

The chief straightened up even more. “He has not been a hassle whatsoever, nor has he had any intent to hurt any of us. We’ve grown comfortable with him. We can handle his fate.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. _You’re_ comfortable, but everyone isn’t. Everyone thinks you’re the bad guys. Hiding away a mortal like that, tsk. I thought better of you, Sawamura.”

Yamaguchi saw Daichi’s expression grow pinched. The freckled recruiter looked down at his hands. _It’s my fault_ , he thought once more. _If it weren’t for me, Daichi wouldn’t have had to be tasked with the problem of hiding Tsukki in our Center…I’ve been so selfish, I didn’t notice._

“So here’s my deal.” The Wraith opened his palms. “Let me take the mortal off your hands. I’ll set off the rumour that it was a fluke and that the mortal had been disposed of so that none of your spirit friends get any more suspicious of you. Does that sound good?”

Automatically Yamaguchi slammed his hand on the table, effectively startling everyone seated. “No. We’re not doing it.” _What am I doing? What am I saying?_

The Wraith raised a single brow. “It’s for your sake. Haven’t you noticed? Yokohama is scared of you little Torino folk. If you don’t get rid of it – ah, I apologize, _him_ – soon, then it’s just going to get worse. No one will trust your Center. No one will trust _you_.”

Daichi opened his mouth but Yamaguchi beat him to it once more, standing up and planting both his hands on the table. He leaned in, trying for a menacing stance. “I said no. We’re not giving him up. I don’t care about reputation as long as he’s not in your hands. Who knows what you’ll do to him?”

The surprised look morphed into one of annoyance. “Tsk. I’m doing you a favour, you know that?”

“I don’t care.”

“He’s just going to drag your precious Center down. He’s nothing but a hassle.”

“He’s not.”

The Wraith glared at him. “You’re annoying. I’d like to crush you.” Immediately, there was movement. Tendrils shot out from behind him and Yamaguchi tried to step back quickly. But a flash of orange filled his vision and Hinata was in front of him, _kamas_ out and deflecting the Wraith’s unnatural weapons. When the blade touched the black, writhing mass, the Wraith hissed.

Yamaguchi was about to call out Hinata’s name when his weapons flashed again, cutting off the dark tentacles that the Wraith kept sending forth. “Leave him alone,” Hinata ordered, sounding very much like Daichi.

“You’re in no position to order me around,” the Wraith said, standing up. The rest of the spirits had stood up as well, the food sitting on the table forgotten. “ _I_ will order you and you will listen.”

Daichi was moving around the table while Ennoshita was grabbing hold of Yamaguchi’s arm, pulling him backwards. The familiar ‘clink’ of his _kusarigama_ filled the air and Suga was gripping his leather cord tightly. Yamaguchi took a hesitant step back, shielded by Ennoshita’s body.

“We don’t have to resort to violence,” Daichi said clearly. “But if you threaten my members, I will not hesitate to hurt you.”

Wraith sighed dramatically, bending his upper torso backwards as he stared up in the ceiling. “You are making this _sooo_ much harder than it really needs to be, _Sawamura_. All I want is the mortal.”

“You’re not getting him.”

“Tch. How uncooperative.” Black tendrils erupted from his back and shot towards the five of them, Yamaguchi letting out a screech as his hands dived for his _tantos_. Ennoshita threw himself forward, a huge weapon swinging through the air. The passive spirit wasn’t a recruiter but he still had a weapon. And contrary to popular belief, Ennoshita could wield it quite well.

A _tetsubo_ was clutched in his hands, a huge wooden club dotted with metal bumps that left painful welts on the body. When they smashed into the fleshy filaments, knocking them away, Ennoshita looked back quickly at Yamaguchi.

“Run-!“

“Oh noooooo, no, no, no, no, no! That won’t do! Yamaguchi, you little bastard, you’re not allowed to go anywhere!”

The Wraith’s tendrils seemed to grow from behind Yamaguchi and he watched as Suga darted forward, slashing at the Wraith himself. He dodged seamlessly, a tentacle shooting out to knock away the weapon that was flying forward.

Daichi surged forward, trying to rope his chain around the Wraith’s arms. But the redheaded man threw his hands up with a wild ‘whoop!’ and cackled, dancing backwards to avoid the quick flurry of Hinata’s swipes with his axes.

Yamaguchi’s eyes were busy following the scene before him that he didn’t realize until too late as the cord-like blackness behind him slammed into his back, wrapping around his torso and legs, lifting him up into the air.

“A-AH!”

“Yamaguchi!” Suga cried out, but the action was a fatal mistake. An oozing sensation circled around his neck and tightened so swiftly that a choked sound left his lips. It seemed to trigger Daichi immediately because the chief gasped and spun around, his face paling when he saw his partner writhing against the choke hold the Wraith had on him.

“LET HIM GO-“ he roared, pouncing at the Wraith, but he was stopped quickly by a fast-moving tendril that wrapped around his ankles. Daichi fell to the ground with a loud thump and the Wraith laughed maniacally, still dodging Hinata’s attacks.

“Too easy, too easy!” He sang, jumping backwards over a chair while Hinata cried out in desperation. He swung forward, the axe’s edge glinting in the air before it was buried in the wall that the Wraith was just standing in front of moments before. Hinata let out a horrified exclamation and released the stuck weapon, intending to continue going after the Wraith with his other _kama_. But before he could, he was slammed against the wall and held there, his wrist squeezed so tightly that Hinata sobbed out in pain as he flexed his fingers open and the _kama_ fell to the ground.

Yamaguchi struggled hard against his bonds, trying to kick and squirm his way out, but the Wraith and his appendages were strong – far stronger than anything he had ever faced before. Pain lanced up his arms as the bonds around him tightened in response to his protest and he grunted in pain.

Ennoshita was the last one standing, fending off wave after wave of attacks with a heavy swing of his club. But his actions were growing slower with all the exertion. The Wraith slowly walked towards him, the four other spirits immobilized and all of his spare tendrils now focusing on putting down the last spirit. “I’ve gotta say, Ennoshita,” the Wraith said, sliding his hands into the pockets of his suit pants. “For the boring one of the group, you sure did hold out the longest. Even longer than your chief and your swordsmaster. Reeeallly impressive, I’ll admit~”

Panting, Ennoshita swung one last time, desperately trying to protect himself. But three more tendrils had snuck up behind him, grabbing at his wrists and causing him to lose balance. He fell to the ground with a grimace, the _tetsubo_ falling away.

“But alas, I’ve proved once again that I’m better, hehe~”

The Wraith walked past him, stepping up to Yamaguchi, who was still being suspended in midair. “So, have you rethought my proposition? It’s truly very simple. Hand over the mortal, fix your life.”

Fists clenching, he spat in the Wraith’s face. “Never.”

Annoyance flashed on the Wraith’s face. “Why are you so persistent?” He crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently. “The mortal is nothing to you except some item of affection. There’s nothing tying you two- Oh?”

Yamaguchi felt coldness fill his chest. His clothing was mussed because of his squirming but something else had been messed up as well. The cuff around his wrist had been pushed up his forearm. _No, don’t look at it, don’t-!_

“And what might this interesting piece of plot development be?” The Wraith hummed, stalking forward. He grabbed Yamaguchi’s hand and raised it up into the light, studying the bond with rapt fascination. “Is this…? Could it be?”

Daichi was struggling to raise his head from the ground where he was pinned to, attempting to shout, but the Wraith had effectively covered his mouth with more bonds. Panic was evident in his eyes and Yamaguchi had never seen the chief so scared.

“Don’t,” Yamaguchi spit out, trying to speak over the that was tightening around his throat.

“Don’t what?” the Wraith said, still intently twisting Yamaguchi’s wrist back and forth. “Don’t question? Don’t look? Oh, oh! I got it!”

A thin finger reached out and Yamaguchi’s chest gripped in paralyzing fear. Daichi looked desperate, struggling hard against his bonds.

“Don’t… _touch_?”

The moment the Wraith’s finger pressed against the darkened patch of skin, the searing, white hot pain that filled his body made him scream out in agony. It drowned out the sick peals of fascinated laughter than fell from the Wraith’s lips.

\-----

The voice was grating, far worse than any voice he had ever encountered before. It raked against his ears and churned his insides and for the first time since he had started his career, Tsukishima wondered why certain people read his work.

The large woman rambled nonsense about his book for a few minutes straight and the writer had to force himself to keep a calm expression and a fake smile. He loved the small amount of readers he had, he really did. This one was just…loud.

“Your work is always very interesting to read, Tsukishima-san!” The woman held out the bound novel for him to sign. “I’ve always loved whenever you come out with new things. I can’t wait for your next book!”

Tsukishima gave her a small murmur in gratitude, scribbling his name down on the page under the front cover. He handed it back and she smiled gratefully, walking away. The writer sighed and placed his chin on his hand. He knew it was bad etiquette at a book signing but…oh well.

Many things had changed over the course of the long two months that he had been absent from the forest. For one, he was finally able to find time to crack down on his writing. Kuroo got everything edited, Akaashi was always willing to print, Bokuto had connections as always and before Tsukishima knew it, he was sitting at a mini book signing, trying to get the word out.

While the place was small and there were only a handful of people and even a smaller number of independent authors, Tsukishima thought that this was good. Great, even. He was finally at a _book signing_ , a place where many authors dreamed to get to. It meant that while still obscure, enough people had read his works to the point where they wanted to meet the author. It definitely flattered Tsukishima and his boosted self-esteem.

They just finished the meet and greet where the people could mill about and talk to the authors and Tsukishima was anticipating the panel. It was where the authors could talk about their books, answer questions and talk about future work. It was the number one self-promotion part of the entire afternoon.

Kuroo was standing in the back, his friend having always accompanied him to every important event in Tsukishima’s life. Kageyama was standing next to him and was simply there because Kuroo forced him to be, insisting that ‘all experience is good experience’ to which Tsukishima and Kageyama replied with a resounding ‘no.’

Now, Kuroo was glaring daggers at him from across the room, gesturing that he gets his chin out of his hand. ‘It’s rude!’ the designer mouthed and Tsukishima rolled his eyes, dropping his arm from its stance.

“Tsukishima-san? Are you ready for the panel?” A fellow author was standing over him a cup of water in her outstretched hand.

Taking it gratefully, he nodded. “Yes, thank you, Sayaka-san.”

She smiled, holding her cup with both hands. Sayaka was a small woman with a short bob of hair, a smile always evident on her face. She and Tsukishima had met at another book convention in Tokyo and had stayed in relative touch ever since. She liked to write romance. “You excited? I know it’s your first time at one of these.”

The writer looked down, giving a one-shouldered shrug. “It’s nice,” he admitted. It was hard to act snarky in front of Sayaka. “I feel ready.”

“Good!” She said, patting him on the shoulder. “Alright, good luck!”

He repeated it in reply as she went to go sit back down on her chair. The coordinator of the event announced the portion of the afternoon they were in and as people began to settle into the chairs in front of the table of authors, Tsukishima felt the expected excitement roll into his chest. This was his _moment_. This was his time to force his books and works into the spotlight. As much as he hated the attention, he knew that this was worth it in the long run.

Sayaka was actually the first author to go, full of confidence and passion for her books. She captured the audience with her stunning professional presence and even the folks who obviously didn’t read romance asked her questions about her work. Tsukishima hoped that he could do the same when his turn came around. He glanced at the schedule. He was next.

His phone vibrated in his pocket, and dipping his brow in annoyance, he discretely checked it under the table. It was Kuroo.

[You ready? You’re next! Don’t fuck up!]

Tsukishima had to refrain from looking up and glaring at the designer from across the room. He tapped out a quick reply.

[Was this supposed to be encouraging?]

[Yes?]

[Go awaadgb-] The phone fell from his hand mid-type. Tsukishima gasped as something spiked up his entire arm and he gasped again when the feeling came back, just this time more intense.

He was about to grab his water when the sensation turned into blinding pain, causing him to grab his hand with the other and hunch over the table. _What the hell is going on?_ He thought as his vision blurred and he began to feel lightheaded almost immediately.

The pain began to grow and grow and Tsukishima felt sweat form at his temple as he forced a calm expression. He could barely see Kuroo but he knew the designer looked concerned. _I’m fine,_ Tsukishima wanted to bark out but even the thoughts in his head sputtered off to a stop as agony filled his chest and he cried out.

“T-Tsukishima-san?” The author sitting next to him looked over with worry in her eyes. “Are you-“

“I’m fine,” Tsukishima breathed out harshly, but he shoved back the chair, standing. He wobbled and the author cried out, reaching out to steady him. He knew he looked like an absolute fool but the pain was burning his hand. It was nothing like he had ever felt before because as far as he could see, there were no burn marks. Which meant one thing…

“Bathroom,” he gasped, lurching away from the table and stumbling towards the back of the store. The authors and audience watched him in confusion and he could hear Kuroo scrambling to follow him. But before the designer could muscle his way in, he slammed the bathroom door and locked it immediately, ignoring the knocks from the outside.

Sliding down against the bathroom door, Tsukishima gasped openly and groaned, gripping his hand as if the tightness of his hold could relieve the pain. He mentally reached out towards the bond, trying to figure out _what_ was going on.

_FEAR. PAIN. HURT. TERROR. AGONY. PAIN. HURT. FEAR._

Tsukishima threw himself up into sitting position, panting as he stared at the wall with wide eyes. Something was wrong with Yamaguchi and whatever it was, it was _horrible_. He was about to stand to his feet and practically sprint towards the forest when a cracking realization hit him.

He couldn’t leave.

This was his _job_. This was where he belonged. This was a signing that he had been working so hard to get to and he was up to talk next, for god’s sake. He couldn’t just _leave_ in the middle of what could either make or break his career.

The conflict inside of him yanked him back and forth and although the pain steadily grew, the guilt in his chest seemed to be the first to explode.

_I can’t go._

He dipped his head, squeezing his eyes shut and clenching his teeth. Curling in on himself and holding his hand tight to his chest, a distressed sob forced its way out of his body as he was wracked with pangs of pain and guilt. There was so little he could do, what with his life on the line.

The pressure of the situation forced him to choose and he _didn’t want to choose_. He had been waiting almost two whole months for any sort of sign that indicated that it was alright for him to return and finally it had come, in whatever painful form it was. He had _agonized_ for this moment, waiting in distress for when Yamaguchi would finally reach out for him. Tsukishima had given him space, given him time, and what he received in return was not a welcoming ‘Tsukki! Come back!’ but a sensation of pure dread that it made him want to throw up.

He _had_ to go back to the forest, to save Yamaguchi from whatever was going on. But as Kuroo’s knocks faded and the setting of the bookstore’s bathroom registered around him, he realized that as much as he wanted to, he _couldn’t_. It was for his sake. His life.

The pain hadn’t dwindled but he forced himself to drive through it, clenching his fist so tightly that his nails dug into his palm.

 _After this signing, I’m booking it over,_ he settled, grasping for the door knob and slowly opening it. There was still the soft murmur of voices coming from the other room, where the panel of authors were still going. Kuroo was leaning against the wall across from the bathroom door, straightening up when Tsukishima emerged.

“Tsukishima, what the hell-“

“It’s fine,” he said, ignoring the hoarseness of his voice. “I’m fine. Just, something I ate or something. I’m fine now.”

Kuroo looked like he didn’t believe him for a single second but when Tsukishima pushed past him to get to the signing room, he had no choice but to follow.

“Are you sure everything’s alright? If you need to go we can sort something out-“

“I’m not leaving,” Tsukishima said curtly, shooting the designer a look. Kuroo quieted, concern evident his eyes. “I’m okay. I swear. Who’s turn is it to talk?”

His friend sighed, running his fingers through his already messy hair. “Akira-san, but you’ll probably go after. Tsukishima, what’s been going on?”

Tsukishima turned on his friend, stopping in the middle of the hallway. His hand throbbed and there was no doubt sweat glistened on his forehead. He probably looked like an unbelievable wreck but he couldn’t care less. Kuroo had no part in this. This was his problem to deal with alone. “Nothing. I said I’m fine, Kuroo,” he said in as clear a voice as he could muster. The designer silenced.

“…Alright.”

\-------

“Hey, what happened?”

Tsukishima nearly dropped his cup of coffee when he was addressed, whipping around to see Kageyama staring at him. The rest of the signing had gone decently, what with Tsukishima forcing down the pain and ignoring it as best as he could. He answered the questions and engaged the audience and Sayaka congratulated him genuinely afterwards, stating that talking that well on a bad stomach was a skill.

The writer didn’t feel particularly successful but people had come up to him afterwards, asking even more questions about his book so he supposed that was an accomplishment.

“Nothing,” Tsukishima instinctively replied, trying to turn away from the intern.

Kageyama would not be dissuaded. “You looked like you were about to die. What happened?”

“Didn’t Kuroo tell you or something? I had a bad stomach.”

“Bullshit.”

Tsukishima shot him an irritated look. He was obligated to stay with the other authors until all their audience had left and he was getting antsy. The pain had faded considerably as the signing went on but it still left an uncomfortable feeling in his chest. What happened to Yamaguchi? He wasn’t dead, that’s for sure. Tsukishima would’ve known. But there also wasn’t an overwhelming sensation of pain anymore.

“Well, whatever. Are we allowed to go now?”

Kageyama squinted at him before glancing over his shoulder, nodding. “Yeah, I came to tell you. Kuroo’s kind of pissy that you hid back here instead of talking to the other authors, though.”

“I don’t care, he’s not my manager.”

“He’s your editor. He might as well be.”

Tsukishima walked past the intern, sighing. Stepping back into the main room, he noticed that a few authors were indeed taking their leave. He gave Sayaka a small wave as she skipped out the doorway. Grabbing his coat, be beelined for his escape as well.

Kuroo stepped in front of him just before he could walk out. “Tsukishima-“

“I know, I know. I didn’t mingle. Sorry.” The writer was growing jittery. He needed to go and he needed to go _now._ The spirits might have had all the time in the universe but he certainly didn’t.

“No, I’m just asking again. Are you sure everything’s alright? You’ve been acting weird lately and I want to make sure you’re not going to go off yourself or something. “

Tsukishima was confused. “I- what? No, I’m not going to _off_ myself.”

Kuroo looked so visibly relieved that Tsukishima was struck with the sudden realization that maybe he was worrying his coworkers much more than he actually thought. Did his best friend seriously think he’d just go and kill himself? Tsukishima didn’t hate himself _that_ much.

“Alright, good. Well, still. Is everything good?”

The writer heard Kageyama come up beside them. “Yeah. Everything’s okay. Sorry about today.”

Kuroo clasped his shoulder, squeezing it. “It’s fine. Just wanted to make sure. You heading home, then?”

Nodding, Tsukishima dragged his arms through the sleeves. “Yeah. You?”

“Same. Drive safe you two,” the editor said, giving them a small salute before backing out. He pointed at Tsukishima. “You. Be alright.”

As Tsukishima and Kageyama walked out just a bit after, the writer ignored how the intern’s eyes never seemed to stray from his form. “Alright. Have a good afternoon,” he said politely, trying to get Kageyama to just step off. The intern grunted in reply as they both stepped into their own cars.

Breathing a sigh in relief, Tsukishima’s hands tightened on the wheel. He turned the car on and tried his utmost best to drive naturally out of the lot before turning the street and practically slamming his foot on the gas.

What he didn’t notice was the small black car that followed a small distance behind him from the book store.

What he didn’t notice when he parked on the side of the forest edge was the car parking a way back from his own.

What he didn’t notice when he charged into the forest was the confused look of the intern that stepped out of the car, watching him sprint.

Kageyama paused for a moment, staring at the forest in hesitance before gritting his teeth and settling into determination. Jogging to where Tsukishima was last seen before disappearing, he took a deep breath before plunging into the suicide forest.

           

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :D Enteerr, Kageyama! 
> 
> My god, we're almost at 100k words?? That's astounding to me?? I'm so thankful to all of you for joining me in this venture as I work through this. It's been one of my favourite things to do when I'm done with homework or during downtime. I pull out this fic and go at it! 
> 
> Please let me know what you think! Your comments give me so much inspiration and just knowing that you guys have reactions while you read give me joy!
> 
> Ta!  
> Juni~


	11. Hyperactive Sunburst

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!! Chapter 11!!! And also, more than 100k words?? Wow wow _wow_ I can't believe we made it! I'm honestly freaking out a bit internally because I just have so much joy writing this and it's the longest thing I've written to date for one story. I thank _all of you_ for trucking through with me and taking these chapters as they come. My gratitude is practically overflowing. 
> 
> To show my appreciation, there's four major sections to this chapter! And for you, my brilliant readers, a section or two of something you've probably been itching to see for a while :)

 

When Tsukishima jumped off the trolley and onto the stone path of the recruitment center just as the sun was hitting the edge of the trees, he was met with an alarming silence. He had expected at least some sort of panic or commotion but instead, there was no sound coming from the building.

Had he been mistaken when he felt the bond act up the way it did earlier that day? _No, it’s impossible_ , he thought grimly as he set off immediately towards the front door. _I would never mistake Yamaguchi’s pain._

He threw the sliding door open with a clatter, ignoring the way the sound thundered through the center and finally he was met with the familiar voice of Daichi wafting from the huge living room. Kicking off his shoes, he ran down the hallway, sliding to a stop when he saw that everyone at Karasuno was sitting around the chief of the Center who looked far worse for wear.

_What happened…?!_

Tsukishima had always been under the impression that spirits didn’t exactly get harmed (after watching Asahi once dip his entire torso into flames and come out fine) but Daichi looked completely beaten up. Marks around his mouth looked red and his wrists looked as if they had been rubbed raw. His movements as he spoke looked jerky and stiff and most of all, he kept glancing worriedly over at Suga.

Suga, who was laying down, partly propped up by a few cushions. The swordsmaster looked exhausted and worn and Tsukishima saw with wide eyes at bruise marks that covered his entire neck. The calm spirit looked troubled, yet attempted to give his lover a comforting smile whenever a glance came his way.

“T-Tsukishima!”

A voice called out his name and the entire group turned to stare at him. Hinata, the one who had called out, looked just as roughed up as the two heads of the center.

“Tsukishima,” Daichi said, turning to him with surprise on his face. “What are you- Why are you here?”

“What do you mean ‘why am I here’?” He snapped, gesturing at the chief who looked at him in concern. “What the hell happened to you? And where’s Yamaguchi?”

The chief stiffened at the question and the writer heard Tanaka let out a quiet ‘ooohh…’ in the back. Suga raised fluttery fingers to his lips as he muttered ‘the bond.’ His voice sounded hoarse. But the confusion still boiled within Tsukishima and he stepped into the room, demanding answers.

“I just felt the worst pain in my life and couldn’t you, I don’t know, give me a less agonizing signal next time?” The chief looked confused at his words but he shook his head quickly.

“That wasn’t a signal-“

“If Yamaguchi’s hurt that’s as good of a signal as any. Where is he?” The mortal didn’t particularly like how no one was answering his question anytime soon.

Yachi was the one who answered, pulling his attention away from the chief. “He’s in his room,” she explained, biting her lip worriedly. “R-Resting.”

Tsukishima stared at her, trying to put pieces of the puzzle together. Nothing made sense. No one was giving him the answers he wanted. Was Yamaguchi okay? Were _any_ of them okay? He settled on turning his head back to the chief and pulling a set look on his face.

“Tell me what the fuck’s going on.”

“Then sit down,” came a slightly annoyed voice. Tsukishima looked at the speaker and saw that it was Ennoshita, slumped over on his own cushion with his arms crossed against his chest. He looked battered and tired, not unlike Hinata’s own appearance. “Daichi’s telling them.”

The older spirit always had a strange ability to get people to listen to him in ways that Daichi sometimes could not and Tsukishima found himself immediately sinking down to the floor, looking up at the chief who simply shot him a tired smile.

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Daichi said, running his fingers through his hair. He looked older than he ever did before which was weird because spirits, as Tsukishima knew firsthand, could not age any more. “Today, someone from The Shade came asking for you.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Tsukishima felt shock run through his entire body, mixed in with a dose of fear. “W-What?” He stuttered, fists tightening at his side. “Who?”

This was not what he was expecting when he came back, this pain from Yamaguchi and foreboding information from Daichi. Everyone had grave looks on their faces as they looked anywhere but him and even Suga was looking at the cushion he held in his hands.

“It goes by the name The Wraith and it controls the spectres.”

“Why does it want me?” Tsukishima asked, although he was sure he knew the answer already.

“To experiment, no doubt,” Ennoshita said from across the room with a sigh. Looking over at him, the mortal saw the same pissed off expression on his face, but it didn’t seem like he was mad _at_ Tsukishima. “You’re different. He thinks you’re strong. He probably wants to make you spectre.”

Tsukishima rubbed is face, shaking his head adamantly. “That’s just idiotic. I’m not strong-“

“The Wraith doesn’t seem to care,” Hinata chimed in from his spot near the wall, shrugging once as he looked at Tsukishima. “And why do we need reasons? He wants you and he seems like he’s going to hurt you and that’s all we need to know.”

The group was quiet, mulling over the information that hung like a heavy cloud over all of them. If the Wraith wanted Tsukishima, who knew what he would do to succeed? Their Center was possibly at danger and it spirits proven to be hurt by the strange tendrils.

Tsukishima wanted to run away again, far from the pressures of the spirit world that he wanted no part of from the start. But time amongst these spirits had taught him that if anything, while _he_ had the possibility to run away, the spirits didn’t. Because of their immortality, putting off the problem for a while was possible, but it would still be there. The way they all just naturally confronted issues head first was something that had begun to rub off on the mortal.

“So…what happened?” He asked, fingers plucking at his bracelet insistently. He wanted to see Yamaguchi, to talk to him once more. But he wasn’t going to brave the spirit’s presence unless he knew what had happened.

“We fought,” Daichi explained slowly. “The Wraith’s ridiculously strong.” The chief looked pained just to admit the fact. “We were sure that he would’ve taken at least one of us as hostage but he saw the bond mark on Yamaguchi’s wrist and was interested.”

“What?!” _The bond! Something happened to the bond; I definitely did not imagine it._

Daichi nodded. “The pain you must have felt was when the Wraith touched it. Touch bonds between spirits and mortals are something Ennoshita and I have deemed as special. It’s a pure kind of bond filled with shared energy between the two of you. To have something so evil and corrupted even touch it is something very dangerous.”

Subconsciously, Tsukishima’s other fingers began to rub at the middle of his palm, imagining the scorching pain that had ripped him apart from the inside out during the book signing. “Is everything okay then? Is the bond alright?”

“It should be,” Ennoshita answered, rubbing at his neck. “It hurt the Wraith too, since it’s like a two-way street. But he said it was interesting and left right after that, saying he’d see us again. I’m surprised he didn’t want anything more with us, but I’m also glad we got out fine.”

Tsukishima swallowed, nodding. If the bruise marks on Suga’s neck and the battered appearance of the other spirits were what Ennoshita considered ‘fine,’ then he was happy they were okay too. What the Wraith could have done was a thought he tried to avoid.

“Is that it? Did he want anything? Give any conditions?”

Daichi shook his head, looking confused himself. “Not really. But he said he was going to use Yamaguchi to get you, what with the bond and all. That’s why I’m not exactly happy you’re here-“

“You’re not going to force me to go away again.” He spoke with such strong determination that the chief looked momentarily stunned before smiling faintly.

“I wasn’t planning on it. I just wanted you to know that that’s the current situation. So if anything, just be careful while you’re here. A recruiter _must_ walk you from the station back to the edge of the forest and as for Yokohama, I’m afraid I’m still going to prohibit you from going there.”

Tsukishima nodded. Those were rules he would happily comply with. “That’s fine,” he said. “Can I go visit him?”

Daichi looked at Yachi who was no doubt his caretaker. The small recruiter gave him a quick nod. “He’s been waiting to see you for a while,” she said with a small smile.

Standing up quickly, he was about to leave the large room when he paused, looking back at the chief. The rest of the center was still sitting around, grim expressions on their faces. Even the loud ones like Nishinoya, Tanaka and Saeko were uncharacteristically quiet, brooding over the situation.

“Um,” Tsukishima started off hesitantly, rubbing at his wrist. Daichi looked up at him. “So what are you going to do now?”

Would there be a fight? Karasuno against the spectres? And all of this, just for him? He felt more than horrible about it and he wasn’t sure how else to phrase it. However, the chief ran his fingers through his hair and gave him the most reassuring smile yet since Tsukishima had stepped into the center.

“For now, we rest.”

\------

Nearly everyone had left the living room, including Ennoshita, who was dragged along by an insistent Hinata because even though they could not sleep, rest was a must. Daichi, having settled deep into a cushion of his own, rubbed his face with both hands.

“ _Heika_ ,” came a soft voice, and gentle hands slid around his neck to rest on the back of his head. He nearly startled at the old-yet-familiar honourific, used by people from long before during his mortal days. Looking up, he saw the clear grey eyes of Suga boring into his own.

“My love,” he murmured instinctively back in return, wrapping his arms gently around his waist and pulling him closer, mindful of the bruises on both their bodies. “I already told you, that title is long but forgotten.”

Suga laughed softly, a sound that Daichi would never tire of hearing no matter how long eternity was. “Nonsense,” said the swordsmaster, pressing his face against the chief’s shoulder. “You are my lord and my majesty. I live to serve you with every second I stand by your side.”

Daichi sighed quietly, letting his fingers slowly slide up and down Suga’s back. The man was curled up comfortably in his lap and the larger spirit wondered what his old generals would say if they saw their emperor and the palace’s swordsmaster wrapped up as tightly as they were.

 “What,” he said in quiet amusement, feeling Suga’s hair tickle his nose. “Missing the old days already?”

Suga hummed. “I’d prefer fighting at your side rather than watching these children get hurt.”

While many of the spirits were close to the same mortal age as Daichi and Suga, because of how long they had lived as spirits, they saw Karasuno’s members as family. It was a little secret between the two of them, how they considered each and every one of the spirits at the Center as their children, but it kept them happy. It also gave them heartache when they saw someone like Yamaguchi struggle, however.

“I agree,” Daichi said, shuddering once when Suga planted a gentle kiss against his neck. “Even Tsukishima?”

The grey hair bobbed up and down. “He’s a fantastic student and he’s actually very passionate. It took time, but I’m surprised to see a human so integrated into our lifestyle. But that also worries me.”

“Because he’s a mortal?”

Another nod. “Because he’s a mortal. Did you…?”

Daichi sighed raggedly, shaking his head. “No. Nothing. Ennoshita and I couldn’t find anything else but bond information and that it had happened once before. At this point I’d say it’s incurable.”

Suga was silently, fingers still playing with the tips of his hair. When he spoke, it sounded resigned. “Yamaguchi’s very attached.”

“I believe they’re _both_ very attached.”

The swordsmaster closed his eyes, worry creasing his forehead. Daichi bent down to kiss the lines gently away. “Their lives might be too tangled by now,” Suga said. “I’m scared about what could happen once you find a solution.”

It was a question that had haunted both of their minds. There was no doubt that Yamaguchi would be torn if Tsukishima left the spirit world for good and the mortal seemed so wrapped around the spirit that who knew how Tsukishima would be if he had no more reason to come back.

“They’ll find a way,” Daichi said firmly, squeezing Suga tightly against his chest. “Like how we did. We found a solution.”

“If you call a solution threatening General Hideo with execution for accidentally walking in on us…”

“It worked and you know it.”

Suga chuckled, the reverberation reaching Daichi’s own chest. It was a funny memory in retrospect, that one. One of Daichi’s top generals had come to give him a report on the southern province’s bandit attacks yet stepped in to see him and Suga in a horrendously compromising position. It still burned the chief’s cheeks to think about it.

“It did. But I don’t want to imagine walking in on Yamaguchi and Tsukishima-“

“S-Suga!”

This time it was a full-blown laugh. “I’m joking. I’m sure they’ll be alright. You’re too stubborn to let the Wraith ever get to either of them.”

Daichi buried his face in Suga’s hair, breathing in the familiar scent of poppy and mint. It was exactly like Suga to be a little bit of sweet and sharp. “You should rest,” he mumbled. “Your neck…”

“Rest with me,” the swordsmaster implored, cupping Daichi’s cheek and pulling him into a gentle kiss. “You have to rest as well.”

They kissed sweetly, basking in the small luxury that they usually weren’t able to get during the daytime. Daichi counted himself lucky, honestly, that of all the people that could’ve have come with him to the spirit world, it was Suga. It was like the heavens decided to grant him that one little prayer and allowed the two of them to be together for all eternity.

As the swordsmaster stood up, pulling Daichi with him towards their room, the chief couldn’t help but tighten his grip around the hand that had done everything and more for him.

\--------

“Yamaguchi…?”

Tsukishima quietly pushed aside the sliding door and stepped into the darkened room, squinting as he tried to look around. At the sound of his voice, a figure jolted upright in the bed pressed against the wall and stared at him with wide eyes.

“T-Tsukki-?!”

“Yamaguchi-!” The mortal practically ran to the bed, grabbing for the spirit’s arms and yanking him forward. As his arms were about to tighten around the shocked recruiter, hands were pushing him back so harshly that he stumbled. “W-What-?”

“What are you doing here?” Yamaguchi’s voice sounded harsh and cold and Tsukishima felt the revitalized fear that maybe Yamaguchi just _did not_ want to see him again. Ever. “What the _hell_ are you doing here?!”

Brows knitting in a flash of irritation, Tsukishima forced himself to remain calm. “I know what happened, I just spoke to Daichi. I felt your pain through the bond, idiot. You can’t expect me to just ignore it when your pain also hurts me!”

The recruiter’s hand flew to his open mouth and Tsukishima could see the darkened skin at his wrist. The cuff was lying on the small bedside table. “Y-You… that was a while ago?”

Tsukishima looked down at that, trying to hide the shame on his face. “I… I had a book signing. I wanted to come right away but it was just really bad timing and-“ he stopped when he heard the spirit quietly say something. “What?”

“I said ‘It’s okay.’” Yamaguchi was looking down at his hands that were clutching the sheets. “You still came and…and that’s okay.”

Without thinking, Tsukishima fell to his knees at the side of the bed, allowing him to be approximately at the same face level as Yamaguchi. The freckled spirit’s long bangs hid his eyes and Tsukishima wished that he could just reach out and reveal the eyes he had dreamed to see for a long time. “What, don’t tell me you didn’t think I’d come back?”

Yamaguchi’s silence was enough of an answer.

Tsukishima gritted his teeth, repulsion bubbling in his chest at the type of person he was. How horrible of a person was he to convince the one man who meant the world to him that he wouldn’t come back for them? How long, if he ever, did Yamaguchi wonder day and night about whether or not Tsukishima would still be there even after the incident at the last festival? And even if Yamaguchi didn’t, did he at least miss him?

“I…” he started off, hating how choked off his voice sounded. He hated how he was bad at this, this _emotions_ thing. He absolutely hated why he couldn’t just do what his characters did in his books, launching themselves at people and proclaiming wishes of love to the world.

Yamaguchi looked up at his voice, brows furrowed and apprehension in his eyes. He was biting his lip and fiddling at his sleeves and Tsukishima was at loss of words again. This time, not because he didn’t know what to say, but because Yamaguchi was just _perfect_. Perfect in every little way, starting from that idiotic piece of hair to the tips of his toes. Perfect in the way he grew worried over small things and to the way he could turn Tsukishima into a speechless mess just with one look.

It came in a rush, completely filling Tsukishima up with just how much he had missed Yamaguchi during this extended stay in the mortal world. He missed seeing him smile, the freckles on his cheeks practically glowing with him. He missed hearing Yamaguchi talk, because his words calmed him down far more than Kuroo or his friends ever could. He even missed when the spirit cried because it showed Tsukishima that this person, this fragile, delicate person, trusted _him_ of all people to break down in front of.

His chest absolutely _ached_ with how much this spirit meant to him.

“I’d always come back for you,” Tsukishima whispered, reaching out to wrap his fingers around the hand that was still tightly clutching the blankets. Yamaguchi’s felt warm. “Idiot.”

A startled laugh spilled from the spirit’s lips and Tsukishima felt concern rise in his chest when Yamaguchi looked away. To make matters worse, he even pulled his hand out from underneath Tsukishima’s.

“It’s dangerous for you to be here,” the recruiter said, rubbing his nose with his other hand. His voice sounded like it was fighting for nonchalance. “You heard what happened, the Wraith is going to come after you with everything he’s got.”

“That doesn’t matter because he’s also after you, from what I take it.” Tsukishima felt like he was missing something here, some large part of the puzzle that was Yamaguchi. The piece was there, he was sure of it, but the spirit was simply hiding it behind his back and feigning innocence. “So it’s pointless if I’m the one safe alone in the mortal world and you aren’t.”

“Why?” The spirit demanded, twisting his head to look at Tsukishima with harsh eyes. “Why is it so important that you’re _here_ when you could continue to live your life out there, perfectly safe? I have people to protect me, Tsukki. And….and I can fight too. You don’t know what the Wraith’s capable of. He could kill you in seconds!”

Tsukishima rose up at this point, towering over Yamaguchi with frustration in his eyes. “So what? You-“

“Don’t ‘so what’ me!” Yamaguchi cried out, his voice sounding hysteric. He flung his hand out to point at the window expressively. “So what my ass, because you have a _life_!”

The word seemed to echo around the small bedroom bearing the weight of a thousand meanings. “You have such a fragile life that you’re willing to throw away so easily for someone like _me_!” Tsukishima nearly broke when he saw the tears form in Yamaguchi’s eyes. “You mortals don’t understand how fleeting your life is, how easily it can be stripped away from you. You don’t know how horrifying it is to realize that once you die, you’re either gone forever or you’re _damned_ forever.”

Yamaguchi was crying openly at this point, shocking Tsukishima completely to the point where he was paralyzed at what to do. The spirit was shaking with the number of insecurities worth decades finally breaking the walls he built to keep them in.

“I’m _dead_ , Tsukki! I’m dead and I don’t understand why you keep wanting to spend time around any of us because there’s nothing we can do for you but give you trouble! I was wrong before about wanting you here. You’re not supposed to be here, you don’t _belong_ here. You belong out there where your life is, with your books and your friends and everyone that cares about you – oh!”

He stopped talking when Tsukishima pushed him by the shoulders back onto the bed and climbed on, leaning over him intimidatingly. The mortal had one hand pressed flat on the pillow next to Yamaguchi’s head and the other was pushing down lightly on his shoulder. He looked down at huge brown eyes that seemed to be staring up at him with fear.

“You don’t believe that.”

“T-Tsukki?”

Tsukishima stared down at him, trying to ignore the raging emotions in his chest. Yamaguchi’s words were thundering in his ears but he knew that they were _wrong_. There was no way in hell that the spirit could believe that when it was Yamaguchi himself who had done so much for him, given him so much. Enough was enough.

“I said, you don’t believe that. You don’t believe that about me. You _can’t_.”

The spirit looked angry at his rebuttal. “You can’t tell me that. What I said was true. I know that you’ve had fun here but the spirit world is not where you belong, Tsukki.”

“Then where do I belong?”

“Out there, Tsukki,” Yamaguchi said desperately when Tsukishima pushed in closer, their face now inches apart. “Out there where-“

“Why would I want to be there when everything I want is here?”

His mind was going on overdrive, the filter for his words completely collapsing. Yamaguchi’s eyes widened considerably and a small gasp left his lips and if that wasn’t the cutest thing Tsukishima had seen to date then god only knew.

“I don’t think you understand, Yamaguchi.” Tsukishima spoke matter-of-factly despite the flush that was growing on the spirit’s cheeks with every word he said. “I know fully well that my life is fragile. I know exactly that one wrong move and I’m dead.” He leaned in so that his nose gently nudged the one in front of him, his breath mingling with Yamaguchi’s. “So I hope it means something to you when I say I’m not wasting my days with you. I want to _spend them_ with you.”

Yamaguchi’s breath hiccupped and Tsukishima’s heart mimicked it. They were close, far too close, even closer than they were in the forest during the festival. But this time it wasn’t Tsukishima awkwardly blurting out phrases when Yamaguchi was uncomfortable. They were both deprived of each other’s presence for so long that even his palm throbbed with the knowledge of its partner mark so close by.

“Tsukki,” Yamaguchi whispered, squeezing his eyes shut as his body tensed underneath the mortal’s. Tsukishima tried to convey messages of warmth and admiration through the bond, hitting the wall that Yamaguchi had set up so long ago. He pushed insistently. “Tsukki, don’t.” Yamaguchi practically begged and Tsukishima’s pulse quickened.

“Why not?” He asked, trying to hide the whine in his voice. “Why don’t you believe me? You and Karasuno have given me everything I could ask for. Not once did I ever doubt any of you.”

Shaky hands had reached up and were clutching the front of his shirt tightly. Yamaguchi was shaking beneath him. Due to fear, anger or something else, Tsukishima didn’t know. He gazed at the closed lids, waiting for them to open at their own time.

The hand he had on Yamaguchi’s shoulder slid up towards his neck, the tips of his fingers sliding into the long brown locks at the back of his head. Yamaguchi bit his bottom lip hard. “Yamaguchi,” he said quietly.

“Tsukki,” Yamaguchi gasped, his eyes flickering open as he tried one last time in desperation. “You can’t. I’m dead. This isn’t-“

“ _But you make me feel so alive_ ,” Tsukishima stressed as he leaned in to press his mouth firmly against the spirit’s.

Yamaguchi froze beneath him but this time there was no running away possible. Tsukishima felt kind of bad that he had practically boxed the spirit in to deal with his fate but his thoughts flew out the window in record time when the body beneath him relaxed and Yamaguchi began kissing back.

In fact, he was kissing him back with _fervor_.

The hands holding his shirt suddenly shot out from underneath him to grip at his hair so tightly that he grunted when Yamaguchi all but yanked him closer. The spirit wasted no time in opening his mouth and urging Tsukishima to do the same, the intention clearly obvious in his actions. They mouthed at each other eagerly, teeth clashing and tongue tangling that even when Tsukishima thought that Yamaguchi needed to breathe, he was simply dragged close again.

“T-Tsukki,” Yamaguchi gasped when Tsukishima dragged his lips down to his jaw and neck, ravishing it with affection that was long overdue. The hands in his hair tightened and when Tsukishima dragged his hands up and down the spirit’s sides, the man underneath him bucked.

“Tell me you don’t want me here,” he said, his voice low and hoarse against Yamaguchi’s neck as the spirit writhed at his mouth’s ministrations. “Tell me you don’t want to see me again.”

The spirit whimpered at his words, trying to seek out his lips again but Tsukishima refused to comply, keeping his head buried against his shoulder. “N-No, Tsukki, please-“

“Tell me, Yamaguchi,” he ordered, squeezing his waist tightly. “Tell me where I belong.”

It wasn’t that Tsukishima had a domination kink or anything, that wasn’t the point of this. It was to prove to Yamaguchi just how idiotic his previous statements were, claiming that Tsukishima belonged anywhere _but_ here.

“With me,” the spirit all but whispered, both their movements pausing when Tsukishima heard the yearn in his voice. He raised his head, looking down at Yamaguchi who had tear stains that reached down to his chin. Yet despite the crystalline droplets, his brown eyes were clear. Tsukishima’s heart thumped loudly in his chest at a speed unknown to man and he briefly wondered if Yamaguchi could hear it. “You belong with me.”

This time, the kiss that Tsukishima guided him into was sweet and soft, hands gently ghosting over cheeks and teeth nipping teasingly at lips. Their bond was a sensual, flowing river, filled with emotions that were absolutely indescribable, yet fantastic all the same.

Eventually, they pulled away, breaths slowly calming down from the initial hype. Tsukishima gazed down at the spirit who had given him more than he could’ve ever thought. He was gifted a community and a home away from home, a place where he felt comfortable. He was given new friends and a group of people he considered family. And most of all, he was giving a chance to explore the emotions he would always write about, but could never experience. All with the help of one little spirit who didn’t see how great he truly was.

“Let me protect you,” he said, mouthing a kiss to the spirit’s jaw. Yamaguchi tilted his head up to allow him room.

“But… But y-you’re a mortal. _I’m_ supposed to protect y-“

Tsukishima nipped at a spot on his neck and Yamaguchi gasped. “Let me protect you,” he practically growled against the heated skin.

“O-Okay...”

The mortal finally stopped kissing him, raising his eyes to look at the spirit once more. “No more forcing me to go away?”

Yamaguchi shook his head vehemently.

“No more running from kisses when you obviously want them too?”

Redness sprung up on the recruiter’s cheeks but he cleared his throat and shook his head a smidge in answer.

Tsukishima smiled faintly, dipping his head so that their foreheads rested together. “Good. That’s all I want.”

Yamaguchi didn’t answer but the arms in his hair slid down to his back, clutching him close. Tsukishima slid sideways onto the bed and off the spirit, allowing them to tangle their legs together as Yamaguchi burrowed his face into Tsukishima’s chest. Brown hair tickled his nose and Tsukishima could smell the familiar scent of the spirit overwhelming him.

Silently thanking whoever and whatever was out there for this moment, he closed his eyes and dragged the blanket over them both.

\--------

Hinata rubbed at the bruise on his wrist, scowling as the redness refused to fade. Spirit injuries should _not_ take this long to heal, which meant that whatever the Wraith had done to them, it was going to take a while. Or maybe it’d be permanent. Either way, the orange-haired recruiter was not happy with the current predicament.

So, they’d met the Wraith, a terrifying creature that wore the oddest ensemble of clothing and had hair not unlike his. Hinata had never seen anyone like that, not during his mortal days or even his centuries as a spirit. He wouldn’t even have believed that wraiths existed if it wasn’t for the fact that he had actually just met one.

The Wraith was a monster, through and through, and the wounds that they took away from the fight was proof enough. From his perch on a branch in a tree, he sighed. _Stupid monster trying to strike fear in those he thinks are weaker than him._

Tonight, he was on duty. Daichi was adamantly against him going out to recruit due to his injuries but Hinata refused to let something so trivial hold him back from _work_. He liked his work, adored it even. Going out to recruit meant that the whole forest was to yourself and it was your job to protect it.

After forcing Ennoshita under Narita and Kinoshita’s hands for rest and telling Daichi to ‘shove it, let me go,’ Hinata was out in his element, scanning the forest floor for anything out of the ordinary. To be quite honest, recruiters had a much easier job than they allowed people to think. Despite the fact that it was a _suicide_ forest, because the small town next to it was not some massive city, it wasn’t like there were five deaths a night. Sometimes there’d be none at all.

The recruiter’s job was to make sure that everything was in order and even if someone did step into a forest, it was to see what they were up to. But while the actual recruiting part could be a bit morbid, especially in the eyes of their latest new Karasuno addition, Tsukishima, it was Hinata’s favourite part of the job.

Seeing his blade slice through the air and into the mortal’s back with no sign of a wound or blood… It was a fascinating little show. Especially once their bodies just went ‘poof!’ and off to the spirit world they went.

If, by chance, they were chosen by the Whatever upstairs to have a redeemed life by appearing in Yokohama, the good thing was that freshly-dead spirits did not remember the recruiter that recruited them. It was a good check and balance in Hinata’s point of view. No memory, no regret, right?

“-ima!”

The recruiter sat up immediately, alert. The voice in the distance was not unusual, seeing as sometimes mortals liked to uselessly cry out to the gods for help. However, the word sounded familiar…

“Tsukishima!”

Yep, Hinata definitely knew that name. He stood up on the branch, eyes narrowing as he stared at the area the voice was coming from. The voice was foreign yet it was calling out Tsukishima’s name in a way that made it seem as if the mortal knew exactly who the writer was. In a flash, Hinata was leaping through the trees silently.

His sudden stop mimicked that of the breeze, the trees’ leaves fluttering softly as he stared down at the mortal that was stumbling around on the forest floor, desperately searching.

“Tsukishima!” The mortal yelled out again and this time Hinata could clearly hear the fury and frustration in his words. Quickly, the logistics worked themselves out in his head. If this mortal knew that Tsukishima had walked into the forest, then he must have seen him or at least heard about it somehow. Tsukishima arrived in the late afternoon and the sun had already dipped far beyond the horizon. Which meant that this mortal was probably walking around this forest for a few hours straight, calling out for a friend that was not going to come any time soon.

Hinata mentally applauded him for his brute stubbornness and determination.

“Hey!” He called out, watching the mortal startle so hard that he tripped over a root and fell on his ass. The recruiter would’ve laughed if it wasn’t for the look of pure terror on the other man’s face. Dropping from the trees and landing in a perfect squat, he looked at the mortal with wide eyes full of excitement, though he tried his best to contain it. “I know Tsukishima! Do you know him? Are you his friend?”

He waited anxiously for the answers only to watch the mortal blink at him a few times before his eyes promptly rolled back in his head and he slumped over backwards, completely out.

“Oh.” Hinata said, straightening up as he looked at the mortal that had fainted far sooner than expected. “Well. Hm.” Glancing around, he stepped over and crouched down next to his face, peering down at the mortal in the faint moonlight.

He looked young, probably younger than Tsukishima, but not younger than Hinata. Well, granted that he was counting by mortal years. With jet black hair framing his face and skin so pale that he looked like – well, okay, the mortal _had actually_ seen a ghost.

Mortals fascinated Hinata. Not because he was one himself once, but because that time of his life had been so long ago that he had practically forgotten almost everything about it. For centuries, he had wandered the earth in a daze as a spirit, wondering how and why he was like this. When he joined Daichi and Suga in their expedition to form Karasuno, he had pushed all thoughts of his mortal life aside.

Now, he was curious as to how people were still living in this day and age, how much time and culture had progressed and most importantly, what kind of _food_ was invented. Hinata was just lucky that some millennials brought new recipes to the spirit world after their deaths.

The mortal in front of him looked peaceful, a total contrast to the constipated look that was initially on his face when Hinata dropped down in front of him. Speaking of which, that was probably not the best course of action to take when first introducing yourself to a doubting-mortal. The recruiter had the strongest urge to just prod and touch because mortals were so _cool_ and Tsukishima never let him touch him but he knew that this was a big no-no. Tsukishima was an exception, having reached out to Yamaguchi first. If Hinata touched this mortal, he’d have to deal with a spectre.

So instead, he threw himself onto the ground next to him, crossing his legs together and planting his palms against the ground behind him. He had all the time in the world, really. He’d sit and wait it out and then _properly_ introduce himself.

Thankfully, he didn’t have to wait long. Within minutes after he knocked out, the mortal was already groaning quietly and fluttering his eyelids.

Hinata leaned in just a bit, eyes wide and anxious to see how the mortal would react this time. He was funny, too funny, so much that the recruiter already liked him far more than he did Tsukishima. When the mortal opened his eyes and they landed on his once more, he offered him a hesitant wave.

“Hell-“

“H-Hoollyy shit, what the fuck-“ The mortal was scrambling away again, this time trying to scoot back from the spirit. Hinata tried not to let the frustration show on his face. If this guy knew Tsukishima and even went so far as to following him into _this_ forest, then surely he knew what Hinata was, right?

He stayed in his spot, watching as the mortal’s eyes seemed to frantically stare at all of him, from the weapons attached to his belt to way his bare feet were probably digging into the soil. He liked being barefoot when he recruited, so what?

“Hey, relax-“ Hinata tried to say, putting a hand out in an attempt at peace. “I’m not going to hurt you! I mean, I never would and you obviously didn’t come here to, you know,” he shrugged, not wanting to openly use the word ‘die.’ The mortal looked crazed enough as is. “I’m a friend. I bet this is totally weird but I’m a friend of your friend so by association that also makes me your friend.”

The words seemed to barely be registering in the mortal’s head but the eyes widened as he gasped and pointed at the spirit. “Y-You…” Hinata could practically see the cogs chugging full force in this guy’s head. “You kill people and wear traditional clothes.”

Stunned silence fell onto the recruiter before he fell over on his sides, laughing so hard that tears began to form at the corner of his eyes. Hinata’s voice was loud in the forest and the mortal looked around worriedly, as if something might come out because of the disturbance. The recruiter laughed hysterically, openly rolling around in the dirt.

“Haha! Ahahahaha! So you _have_ heard about us! That idiot Tsukishima chose the worst parts about us to tell you, huh!” At the mention of the other mortal’s name, the stranger straightened up despite looking thoroughly weirded out. Hinata grinned up at him from his spot on the ground. “Half of that is right. We _recruit_ , thank you very much. Killing people is too crude. Leaves a bad taste on the tongue!”

The mortal looked winded and Hinata probably couldn’t believe the confusion he was facing. He admitted it with a weak ‘What?’

Sitting up, Hinata rubbed his eyes away, shaking his head. Still filled with mirth, he filed away a mental note to get back at Tsukishima for choosing the recruiters’ oddest qualities to go around sharing. “We recruit! It’s not killing, it’s saving. This is a suicide forest, you know that right?” The paleness in the mortal’s face as he nodded let Hinata know that he was fully aware. “Don’t worry, I could tell the moment I saw you that you don’t want to die.”

“Y-You can?”

“Yup!” He bobbed his head up and down adamantly. “If you’re in here and you don’t want to die, then I have no business with you. Except if you know Tsukishima. Then I kind of do.”

The mortal blinked. “Wait…recruit?” He asked slowly.

Hinata blinked. “Ah! Right. Recruiting. See, ah,” he scratched at his neck as he craned his head up to stare at the trees. “If you _did_ want to kill yourself in here, I wouldn’t have let you do it. I would’ve done it myself.”

There was silence from the mortal and Hinata went on.

“We recruiters take your pain away by sending you off to the spirit world immediately, before you can do something drastic such as hurt yourself by killing yourself.” He gestured to the trees around them. “Everything here looks healthy, right? We’re protecting your own soul as well as the soul of the forest. Dead bodies hanging everywhere or soiling the ground just-“

“Hurts the forest,” the mortal finished, effectively shocking Hinata. The mortal had pulled his gaze away from the recruiter, instead looking at the ground with a forlorn yet grave expression.

Hinata curled up, hugging his legs to his chest. “Yeah,” he said in surprise. “How’d you know?”

The mortal gave a quiet sigh. “My mom killed herself in the house because she couldn’t bring herself to do it out in nature. At least, that’s what she put in her letter.” Hinata tried to hide his grimace. While it was wonderful that this mortal’s mother had understood the pain death gave to the forest, it was still a terrible situation overall. The lack of knowledge mortals had about suicide’s elemental effects were what brought them to suicide forests like these, allowing the recruiters to do their jobs. “I wish she had someone to ‘save her’ at least. That’s what you mean, right?”

The recruiter nodded. The air around them had taken a sad feeling but Hinata’s fascination with this mortal had increased tenfold. There was no longer any fear or shock in his face, replaced by the burdening guilt of a broken past. Yet despite all that, the mortal seemed to vibrate with the will to live. Perhaps for the sake of his dead mother, Hinata would never know. But the intention was clear. He was not here to die.

Hinata finally understood what Yamaguchi meant when he looked at Tsukishima with wonder in his eyes, captivated by the fact that this was someone who would do anything it took to live out the rest of his life.

“What’s your name?”

The question startled the recruiter out of his thoughts. The mortal was staring at him with wariness in his eyes, but he wasn’t running away. Hinata smiled. “Hinata Shouyou, at your service! I’m a recruiter spirit from Karasuno Recruitment Center. What’s your name?”

“Kageyama Tobio. I’m, um, mortal.”

Hinata’s smile widened. “You know a lot for just a mortal. What else did Tsukishima tell you?”

Kageyama seemed to hesitate for a brief second. “I…He didn’t really _tell_ me much…”

“Hmm? I see. Well, that’s okay! He told you a bit and that means something, I guess.” He shook his head. “I knew that guy wasn’t the type to hold secrets.” The extremely dubious expression on Kageyama’s face made him snort. “Oh, come on. He couldn’t keep _us_ a secret, could he? He told you!”

The mortal ignored his question. “How do you know Tsukishima?” He asked.

“He saved Yamaguchi from a bad run-in with a few jerks and got himself tangled in the process. You know he’s part spirit, right?”

Kageyama’s choke made him realize that no, this mortal did not know that much.

“He’s a _what_?”

“Part spirit! Part Yamaguchi, if you wanna get really technical. I don’t know how everything works. You’d have to ask Daichi.”

Dark brows were heavily knitted as Kageyama stared at Hinata as if he was just given the answers to all the questions in the world. “So he wasn’t coming here because he was suicidal… Holy fuck, I had no clue. None of us did. He’s part _spirit_?!”

Hinata had to hold back another bout of laughter. “Tsukishima? _Suicidal_? Please, he’s the farthest thing away from it. That’s probably why Yamaguchi likes him so much, he’s way too alive for his own good. Makes the center a bit more fun whenever he’s around though. Gotta say, he’s a dick, but a cool dick. Really cool. Don’t you think he’s cool?”

Kageyama looked pained at the question and it took him an excruciatingly long time to nod slowly. “He’s okay. Where is he?”

“Back at Karasuno,” Hinata said, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Do you wanna come?”

Alarm flashed on Kageyama’s face. “Go where? Where are we going?”

Hinata snickered. “Not anywhere sketchy, _bakageyama_. I already told you I wasn’t going to hurt you.” The mortal looked mortified at the nickname that Hinata gave him, his words of protest dying out when Hinata laughed. “Come on! There’s no rules against mortals coming and you’re friends with Tsukishima so you practically know all about us anyway so there’s no harm.”

Kageyama scowled, clamoring to his feet and brushing his hands off on his pants. “I told you, he didn’t tell me much. I barely know about you guys except that you’re ghosts.” The mortal paused just to stare at Hinata for a second. “ _Christ_ , I can’t believe he was telling the fucking truth.”

“I don’t blame you for not believing,” Hinata said easily, jumping to his feet and starting to walk back towards the station. “I have blue wisps, right? That’s why you freaked out?”

“I- uh, yeah. You do.”

Hinata nodded. “That’s what Tsukishima said too the first time he met us. Do I look cool?” He was suddenly in Kageyama’s face, waiting excitedly for an answer. “Like a ghost, right? With like, blue flames coming off my body?”

“O-Oi,” Kageyama said, putting a hand out in front of him to push the spirit away. However, Hinata backed up immediately, startling the mortal. “Woah-“

“You can’t touch me!” Hinata said firmly, shaking his head.

“I wasn’t-“

“Okay well either way, no touching. No touching anyone at Karasuno either, okay? Unless it’s Tsukishima.”

Kageyama looked stunned, confused at Hinata’s hasty reactions. But he pulled his hand away and nodded, brows furrowed. “A-Alright. Sorry. Why?”

Hinata looked a bit conflicted, rubbing his arm as he bit his lip. “It’s against the rules for a spirit to touch a mortal is all. I don’t want to get you into the same problem Tsukishima’s currently in.”

“Where he’s part spirit?”

The recruiter nodded. “Don’t worry, the spirits will avoid touching you just as much as you avoid them.” He didn’t want to tell Kageyama that if something went wrong, the mortal would be turned into something evil, something irreversible and something that Hinata would have to kill on sight.

Honestly, there was a huge chance that Daichi could get really mad at him for bringing in a mortal like this, to a place packed full of spirits where an accident could happen any time. But Kageyama _knew_ Tsukishima and had been searching for so long that it was a shame to simply kick the poor mortal out of the forest. And really, what were the odds of something happening?

“Come on, I’ll show you the station,” Hinata said, beckoning for the mortal to follow him. With just a few seconds of hesitance, Kageyama fell into step.

\-------

“So, wait, let me get this straight. You’re _how_ old again?”

“Two thousand, five hundred and fifty-two.

The mortal gaped at him with such a wide mouth that Hinata couldn’t help but grin in amusement. Kageyama was funny.

“No way you’re that old.”

“Do you have any proof that I’m not?”

“Do you have any proof that you _are_?”

Hinata nodded, clasping his hands behind his back. He opened his mouth and said something that was no doubt incomprehensible to the mortal.

Kageyama looked bewildered. “W-What? What the hell did you just say? Was that some sort of spell or something?”

The recruiter snorted, shooting the mortal a look. “Don’t be stupid, spirits don’t have magic. I’m surprised you didn’t know. That’s the old dialect used in the ancient eras of Japan. The language has just changed so much over time.”

A look of genuine surprise was on Kageyama’s face. “Really? Then what did you say?”

Hinata turned to look at him, sticking his tongue out. “I said you’re funny to watch because you look like an angry bear.”

“Oi!”

The recruiter threw his head back and laughed openly, clutching at his sides. Even while trying to defend himself, Kageyama _still_ looked funny. In an endearing way. Truly, mortals were fascinating. This man, despite his prickly behaviour, was determined in many ways that spirits proved not to be once they died. Sure, they all had their own respective Reasons of Moving but mortals had the true forces that drove them to be successful.

Hinata sorely wished he was a mortal again in modern day Japan.

It was a wish he knew could never happen and one that he hid from sharing to even his closest friends such as Nishinoya or even Suga. Instead, he hid his silent yearning for the mortal world by staying hidden deep in the spirit world, not allowing himself to even take a peek at how much Japan had changed now. His only reprieve was overhearing the occasional conversation of newly-dead spirits talking about new and exciting things that Hinata would’ve killed to see.

But with Kageyama here, _proof_ of an ever-changing country…well, it wasn’t Hinata’s fault that his own curiosity couldn’t be contained after being suppressed for so long.

 _Imagine if I was alive at a time like Kageyama was_ , he thought wistfully as he listened to Kageyama try and defend the face that he was born with. _Would I ever meet him? We’re about the same age…would I have met him at school? Worked with him? No, the country is too big. Maybe our paths would have never crossed._

He was about to ask Kageyama what he usually did with his life when an unnaturally strong breeze buffeted them, pushing them back so suddenly that Hinata almost fell against Kageyama if he hadn’t stepped away quick enough.

“Woah,” he muttered, looking up and squinting at the sky through the trees. Was there a forecasted storm? Oh wait, spirits didn’t care about the weather, so they never knew.

“What’s that?” He heard Kageyama’s nervous voice from behind him and he turned, scanning the trees.

The breeze around them morphed into wind, not strong enough to move them but enough to strike nervousness in even the recruiter’s chest. There was a foreboding feeling in the air and he could practically smell the fear radiating from Kageyama.

“Is it another spirit or something?”

“No…” Hinata slowly slid his hands to his side, reaching for his weapons. He still felt battered and weak, definitely not up to fight again if what was prowling the forest happened to be a spectre.

However, what stepped out from the darkness was something far worse.

“Oho? What a lovely surprise~ Fancy running into you here, Shou-chan.”

Hinata’s face fell into a deep glare as the Wraith wiggled his fingers at him in greeting. Still dressed in those strange clothes, he stepped over branches and around bushes lazily. The dark crimson eyes seemed to be studying him with interest and instinctively, the recruiter moved into a protective stance in front of Kageyama.

“What the hell are you doing here, Wraith?” He spat out, unsheathing his _kama_ from his sides. The monster ‘tsk’ed lightly at the action.

“All I’m doing is saying hello and you’re pulling out your weapons already? What terrible manners. Don’t you think so?” The question was aimed at Kageyama this time and Hinata heard his breath hitch behind him. _Don’t bring him into this,_ the recruiter thought desperately, knowing that his wish was in vain. “What’s this? Another mortal? Please don’t tell me you’re actually planning on trying to form some little phantom army there in Karasuno.”

Hinata nearly froze. _Phantom? How did he know?_ It was a label they gave Tsukishima in Karasuno alone. No one in Yokohama knew it, obviously, and to hear it come from the Wraith’s mouth was even more shocking. _Does he have eyes on us that we don’t know about?!_

“Leave him alone. He has nothing to do with this.”

“Oh, but you’re wrong,” the Wraith said, tutting lightly. He continued to stalk forward and Hinata tensed even more. “We can’t have mortals walking around this forest for no reason, can we? It just dirties up the place. Too much _life_.”

Hinata stepped up in front of the Wraith, holding one of his _kama_ out. The blade flashed menacingly. “We need life in this forest,” he argued, eyes narrowing as the Wraith barely looked at the weapon. “This place wasn’t even meant to be a suicide forest to begin with.”

“What a shame that it is, hm? Well now, that one seems expendable. No bond, no knowledge, no nothing. Not important, right? Let me have it.”

The recruiter finally understood why Yamaguchi was so adamant in defending Tsukishima as a person. Just hearing Kageyama be referred to as an ‘it’ made his blood boil. Mortals weren’t an _it_. If they were, then Hinata had simply been an object as well, at some point in his life. _Its_ didn’t have lives and feelings. _Its_ didn’t have sad backstories like a dead mother.

“Go to hell,” Hinata snarled, lunging forward with his _kama_ outstretched. He slashed in the air once before he rolled to a stop behind the Wraith who had easily sidestepped him.

His body was aching, the bruises from the Wraith’s initial attack screaming at him. It was so wrong, having injuries that lasted more than a few hours. Hinata felt like his legs were going to collapse. Suddenly, the _kama_ felt a thousand times heavier.

“You’ve had time to recuperate yet you _still_ suck,” the Wraith said gleefully, shaking his head. “Spirits are hilarious. Aren’t they?” The monster turned, addressing the question at Kageyama. Hinata watched as a black tendril shot forth, aiming for the mortal’s body.

Mustering as much energy as he could, he flashed forward, cutting in between the path of the black tentacle and Kageyama while lifting his arm. The mortal behind him shouted in surprise as the Wraith wrapped the appendage around Hinata’s wrist, much like he did in Sakanoshita, not too long ago. The recruiter gasped as the old injury was squeezed again but he forced himself to hold onto his weapon.

“So _annoying_ ,” the Wraith said, eyes narrowing. “Fine, if you want to protect the mortal so bad, then surely it’d prefer damage from you over me.”

The tendril around his wrist suddenly shoved him backwards and Hinata felt fear blossom in his chest when he realized what the Wraith was trying to do. “Kageyama!” He yelled, “Get back!”

Another hard shove pushed at him and this time, Hinata gritted his teeth and accepted the inevitable. In his position, there were only two options. Fall onto the mortal and create a spectre, or purposefully trip sideways into the waiting mass of other writhing tendrils. There was no time to think because he was getting pushed and pushed…

“F-Fuck!”

A cry rang out in the air and Hinata turned his head to look just as he thudded against the ground, a swarm of thick tentacles grabbing at his arms and legs, yanking the _kama_ out of his hands. Kageyama was pressed up against a tree, the Wraith himself holding him by the neck tightly. There was a look of sick victory in his face.

“K-Kagey-“ Hinata tried to call out but the Wraith whipped his head over to glare at him.

“Shut up,” the monster said simply before something black and disgusting clamped itself over his eyes, nose and mouth. Hinata struggled to breathe, the pulsing mass only pressing down even harder. He heard a faint scream and his pulse jacked. _Kageyama-!_ The mortal’s name was the last thing that rang in his head before everything faded into darkness.

\--------

When Hinata came around, the last thing he was expecting to see was bars.

His eyes fluttered open and he jerked upright, a gasp falling from his lips. He was in a _cage_. Immediately he lunged for the bars, trying to see if maybe they were the mortal sort, maybe he could just slip right through them like most spirits could. But no, his face collided with what looked like an odd combination of steel and wooden bars and he grunted in pain. Amidst his head spinning, he didn’t recognize the hysteric voice until it was finally calling his name.

“You dumbass! Hey! Hinata! HEY! What the hell is going on?!”

Kageyama was outside of his cage, across from him in what looked like a small cave. There was an opening of faint light farther away from them and Hinata felt the hope begin to dwindle from his chest. They were in _The Shade_.

“HINATA!”

“K-Kageyama! Don’t yell at me!” He replied sharply, scrambling to the side of the cage closest to the mortal. The recruiter gasped when he saw metal cuffs binding Kageyama’s wrists and ankles, a long chain connecting him to the wall. “What happened to you?”

The mortal scowled. “How the hell am I supposed to know?! I blacked out!”

Hinata bit his lip, hands squeezing the bars even tighter. They were in a very, very dangerous predicament. Farther in the cave he heard the faint echo of screams, or perhaps that was just the wind. He had never been in The Shade before.

_I can’t let Kageyama die. But most importantly I can’t let him turn into a spectre. That’s too much pain. Where’s the Wraith?!_

“Kageyama, listen to me. Calm down and listen to me.” He tried to speak as firmly as possible, conveying what sounded like calmness in his voice. The mortal was muttering to himself, trying to pull the cuffs from off his wrist and wincing whenever they simply dug deeper into his skin. Only when Hinata called his name out again did the mortal look up at him with worried eyes.

“That thing we just came across is called the Wraith. It’s been trying to get Tsukishima since the spirit world found out that he was a mortal.”        

“It wants _Tsukishima_?!”

Hinata nodded. “It wants Tsukishima and now that you’re here, it’s probably going to-“ He stopped, checking himself. _I can’t just tell him he’s going to be experimented on!_

“Probably going to _what_?”

The recruiter gritted his teeth in frustration. “It’s probably going to torture you and me,” he settled on saying, because it wasn’t exactly a lie. “You _cannot_ touch me under any circumstances, okay Kageyama? For your safety as well as mine. And If he brings spectres, fight as best as you can. Don’t let them touch you either.”

The poor mortal looked so lost and confused that Hinata slammed a fist against the bars, growling. It was so hard trying to protect someone without giving them information. But it was for Kageyama’s own sanity that he not know there was a possibility he could lose his soul and life to the darkness.

“Hinata…” Kageyama said, his voice much calmer than before. The recruiter looked up, seeing that there was still confusion on the mortal’s face, but he looked more determined. “Are _you_ going to be okay?” Dark eyes seemed to bore into his own, as if seeing the panic that Hinata was trying so hard to hide.

The way Kageyama said it, the way he seemed so genuinely worried despite the fact that they had met not long ago at all… Hinata couldn’t help but give him a faint smile, letting his shoulders droop. “I’ll be fine. You’re the one I’m worried about,” he said honestly. “You’re at more danger here.”

Kageyama ‘tsk’ed lightly and looked away, messing with his cuffs again. “As long as there are people that will come and get us.”

Hinata nodded vehemently. “Daichi will notice I didn’t come back from my shift. They’ll know I’m missing and will come looking.” He spoke confidently yet doubt filled his mind. _But how will they know I’m in The Shade?_

“Someone’s awake!” A sing-song voice filled the air and Hinata wanted to curse at the world. A form filled the entrance to the cave, tall and slender, with flaming hair. “Did you enjoy that, Hinata? Spirits can’t sleep but they sure as hell can get knocked out. Interesting how our rules work, no? I’m sure you got the rest you needed.”

The recruiter pressed himself as close to the bars as possible. “Where are we?” He demanded. “What the hell do you want with us?”

But the Wraith completely ignored him, stalking over to Kageyama who scrambled back against the wall, trying to avoid the monster’s intense gaze.

“You know,” the Wraith said in a silky voice, crouching down in front of Kageyama and reaching out. Thin fingers grabbed the mortal’s chin, causing him to grunt as his face was forced forward. “A mortal with no intention to die walking around in a suicide forest just calls for trouble. And look! You found yourself in trouble.” The Wraith chuckled. “And I _truly_ did not mean to eavesdrop, but I believe you’re an acquaintance of something dear that I want.”

“Leave him alone!” Hinata yelled, shaking the bars hard yet to no avail. A tendril shot out from the Wraith’s back, slamming against the cage violently. The recruiter gasped as he fell backwards.

“Tell me,” the Wraith cooed, stroking Kageyama’s chin with a sharp nail. “What’s the other mortal’s name? I promise I won’t do anything if you just tell me his name.”

Kageyama’s glower darkened and he spit into the Wraith’s face, a glob of saliva landing straight between his eyes. “Like hell I’d tell you,” he snarled. There was waver in his voice that was obvious to all but the mortal was doing his utmost best at standing up for himself.

He whimpered in pain when the fingers on his chin tightened, the nails digging into his skin and puncturing it. Droplets of blood appeared. The Wraith silently stood up and pulled out a kerchief from his pocket, delicately wiping his face. “I was initially going to use you as bait,” the monster said slowly, folding the cloth and sliding it back into his pocket. “But you know what? I think I’ll have some fun with you first.” He lifted his long leg before swinging forward, his foot slamming into the side of Kageyama’s face. The mortal grunted and flew sideways, a dazed look on his face.

“NO!” Hinata screamed, throwing himself against the bars and staring in horror at the scene before him. “LEAVE HIM ALONE! USE ME! TAKE ME!”

The Wraith continued to ignore him, aiming kick after kick on tender spots on the mortal’s body such as his stomach and ribcage. Kageyama’s grunts of pain turned into moans of agony as the Wraith’s ministrations seemed to go on forever.

Hinata felt like he was sobbing, hysteria filling his voice as he watched the mortal who had endured so much pain and confusion already be continuously tortured.

“You think you can defile _me_ ,” the Wraith seethed, slamming the heel of his shoe against Kageyama’s chest. The mortal wheezed and coughed violently, his eyes fluttering to stay conscious. “The fact that you, a mere mortal, has the audacity to spit in _my_ face makes me disgusted!” A tendril sped out from behind him, grabbing hold of Kageyama’s torso. It lifted him up and threw him sideways, the body flying away just a bit before it stopped mid-air, Kageyama dropping heavily to the ground. The chains had yanked him back.

“ _I_ will be the one to defile _you_!” The Wraith all but screamed, stepping forward to kick Kageyama over again, the mortal now simply a punching bag. “I will set all my spectres on you to teach you your place! I will have each one of them touch you until there is nothing left within you but despair and agony and _hatred_! I will destroy your soul and kill the mortality inside of you, one bit at a time!”

Kageyama was still breathing, but barely. Hinata felt helpless in his cage as he watched the scene before him. “Please,” he ended up calling out, the plea finally reaching the Wraith’s ears. Hinata felt disgusted, having reduced to begging. “Please, take me. Experiment on me! Just leave him alone! Don’t touch him anymore!”

The Wraith’s eyes seemed to blaze as he stalked over to the cage, leaning over it to stare at Hinata. “And why would I want you? You’re nothing but a spirit. I could get one of you any day.”

Hinata surged forwards, pressing upwards to the top of the cage so that the Wraith could see the desperation in his face. “I don’t care. Just use me. Do anything you want to me! Just spare the mortal, _please_!”

“Why are you so willing to throw your life away for this stupid mortal?” The Wraith demanded, crossing his arms. Hinata could see Kageyama twitching behind the Wraith, trying to lift himself from the ground. “He is nothing to live for. He _has_ nothing to live for.”

“I’m already dead,” Hinata said morosely. “He still has the world in his hands, you can’t take that from him. Please, I’m begging you.”

The Wraith scoffed, shaking his head. “You’re ridiculous.” Without warning, a leg slammed against the side of the cage, rattling it so hard that Hinata fell sideways with a shout. “You think that I’d choose a petty spirit over the opportunity to experiment with a mortal?” The leg came again, rocking the cage violently. “What foolish notions. I don’t need you.”

“Stop!” A hoarse voice called out and the Wraith turned to see Kageyama, slightly propped up on one arm. His other was reaching out towards the Wraith. “Please, stop it!”

A grin slid onto the Wraith’s face as tendrils slowly emerged from his back, sliding towards the cage menacingly. “You want me to stop? Why? Do you _also_ want to throw away your life for this dumb spirit?” A tentacle slid into the cage, seizing Hinata by the throat swiftly and squeezing. He let out a gasp in pain and Kageyama seemed to freeze.

“Don’t-“

“Don’t what? Don’t hurt him? Don’t hurt you? Mortals really need to get their priorities in order.” Hinata’s pained choke made Kageyama pull himself up even more.

“I’ll tell you what you want to know,” the mortal said quickly, determined eyes staying on the Wraith’s face.

Hinata’s eyes widened as his fingers scrabbled effortlessly on the tendril at his throat. “Kage- No-!”

The Wraith snickered, crossing his arms. “Is that so? Alright then, tell me. What’s the mortal’s name?”

Kageyama seemed to falter, eyes flickering back to Hinata who was desperately gasping for breath. His vision was beginning to swim before his eyes and his movements felt like they were growing more sluggish by the second.

“Tick tock, little mortal. I have time but I doubt either of you do. Oh, look, he’s starting to pass out.” The tendril tightened even more and Hinata cried out one last time, shuddering.

“Tsukishima Kei!” Kageyama yelled in desperation, shaking. “His name is Tsukishima Kei. Please, let him go.”

Suddenly, the Wraith’s hold on Hinata released and the recruiter sucked in huge gulps of air, clutching at his throat. Tears were streaming from his eyes from the pain and Kageyama looked absolutely horrified at his actions. The Wraith clapped once, nodding. “Thank you, that definitely made things easier for all of us, right?”

He turned his eyes to the spirit in the cage and leered. “You know what, maybe I _do_ have use for you. I’ve always wanted to experiment on a pure spirit alone.” A large hand patted the top of the cage in an affection way. “I’ll put you to good use.”

Hinata flinched away from the action as Kageyama tried to drag himself towards the cage, clutching at his sides and grunting with each movement.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, men, I have things to do. You stay here and don’t make a ruckus, alright? My spectres are horridly curious creatures sometimes. I can’t guarantee anything.”

And with that, the Wraith spun away and stalked back to the entrance of the cave, disappearing into the forest without looking back.

The spirit nearly gasped when a body fell against the cage, Kageyama’s frantic gaze searching him. “Are you okay?” The mortal asked, as if he wasn’t the one that had just been kicked around for a few minutes straight.

“I’m fine,” Hinata assured him, trying to stay away from the mortal just in case. “Are you okay? You need to sit down and rest, don’t force yourself to move.”

Kageyama nodded, slumping against the bars that were no doubt uncomfortable. But Hinata couldn’t bring himself to tell the mortal to go away.

“You said this Daichi guy was coming to get us, right?” Kageyama’s voice sounded laboured and Hinata felt guilty. There was a one hundred percent chance that Daichi would go after them. There was just a very slim chance that the chief would know where exactly he was. But Kageyama sounded so hopeful in this man he had never even met, placing all his faith in a stranger spirit that they’d get saved.

“Yes,” Hinata ended up saying. “Yes, he’ll find us.”

_Please, Daichi. Anyone. Please find us._

           

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I forgot to mention this, but the Wraith is Tendou, if you haven't already picked up on it ^^' 
> 
> Anywhoooo, I hope you enjoyed that ;) Now Kageyama and Hinata are involved, what next?! Ahh! The questions! 
> 
> Comments and kudos always appreciated!


	12. Vanished Light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, wow! 12! We're inching ever closer to the end! Isn't that exciting :D
> 
> **Look at this fantastic watercolour made for this fic It's freaking amazing:** [ART](https://siketendou.tumblr.com/post/156877799257/done-w-watercolor-for-tsukidinoshima-based-off)

 

Yamaguchi felt like every time he blinked, a millisecond was wasted on the darkness. If he wasn’t already dead, he was sure his heart would have stopped ages ago. Breathing was also an effort because if he suppressed it hard enough, he’d have trouble. But if he breathed too loud, he risked waking Tsukishima up.

The point was that he was trying _very_ hard not to disturb the picturesque scene before him.

It consisted of Tsukishima sleeping deeply, head nestled against Yamaguchi’s own pillow. His pale hair was a mess and his glasses were pushed up far on his forehead. Yamaguchi thought it looked brilliant. One of the mortal’s arms was tossed carelessly over the spirit’s torso, keeping him in place in a loose hold. Not like Yamaguchi was planning on leaving anytime soon, anyways. Their legs were comfortably tangled, the heaviness of Tsukishima simply being a warm and delicious feeling rather than a burden. The recruiter could not think of a single moment that could best this one.

Or, rather, maybe the kiss.

Yes, the kiss was nice.

Yamaguchi’s cheeks burned for the millionth time that night as he gazed at Tsukishima’s face, memories of their earlier activities coming back full force. He was fully aware that the mortal liked him, hell, he reciprocated it wholeheartedly. But he didn’t know that Tsukishima liked him _that_ much. Enough that he was willing to ignore the spirit-mortal based problem they had. Enough to kiss him silly after not seeing him for nearly two whole months. The thought alone made him feel giddy.

He bit his lower lip to suppress the smile that was threatening to bloom on his face as he traced Tsukishima’s profile with his gaze. Yamaguchi wondered at what exact point did Tsukishima think that he was worth it?

In Yamaguchi’s case, he would openly say from the very start, or some time close to it. It wasn’t during a flashy event or some dramatic moment out in the forest. In fact, it was the little things that Tsukishima did that stood out in remarkable ways.

Like the way he slowly opened up to people like Nishinoya and Hinata, accepting that they were simply loud people and that Yamaguchi adored them to death. Watching them all interact was usually a very entertaining sight but Yamaguchi knew that Tsukishima was trying. Putting up with Hinata’s exuberance and Nishinoya’s theatrics were no easy feat.

Other moments were the ones during training. Aside from being able to protect himself, there was no reason for Tsukishima to exert so much effort into his training with Suga. Yet he came every night he could, pulling out his _wakizashis_ without waiting for any prompt. He fought as if he were actually going into battle, slashing away at Suga with everything he had. Even after the few-months mark had passed for Suga’s training to ‘finish,’ Tsukishima insisted on more. Yamaguchi had joined in at the beginning, trying to keep up with the swordmaster’s ruthlessness and Tsukishima’s never-ending stamina. Eventually, he stuck to sitting on the porch steps, watching the mortal go head to head with one of the top fighters in the spirit world.

His favourite moments, though, were the ones where Tsukishima wasn’t holding a weapon or trying to deal with the hectic energy in the Center. It was the moments where they sat in Yamaguchi’s room, talking about everything and nothing at the same time. The spirit would listen intently as Tsukishima told story after story about Japan as of late, amazing Yamaguchi with every little detail. He loved watching Tsukishima simply _be_ in his element, describing situations with perfectly painted words, a masterpiece coming to life within Yamaguchi’s mind.

There were many things that made Yamaguchi slowly realize that maybe, just maybe, Tsukishima was something more than just a ‘mortal friend.’

However, the doubt and insecurity were still there, eating away at his soul slowly. Tsukishima devoting so much time here at Karasuno meant less time in the mortal world, focusing on things that _should_ matter more. Like his relationship with his brother and his friends at work. Yamaguchi wanted to be selfish; he wanted to keep Tsukishima in his arms and hide him away from the mortal world forever, but he knew that it was impossible. Time had taught them all that all things had to come to a close, unless you were damned.

He didn’t want Tsukishima to be damned.

He wanted Tsukishima to live the most fulfilling life that life had to offer, among people who adored him and praised him for his work. Sure, Yamaguchi wanted to argue that _he_ adored him the most and if anything, he would _always_ praise Tsukishima for his work but that’s not how it went.

Those thoughts were nothing but painful to think about though, and Yamaguchi pushed them back to the corner of his mind as he forced himself to think about something happier. Such as the kiss.

The kiss, where Tsukishima’s lips felt softer than his skin, pressing against Yamaguchi like clouds. Clouds that started off like a storm, thundering through his body and lighting it up with jolts of electricity that he couldn’t compare anything to. The way Tsukishima seemed to throw all inhibitions to the wind and kiss, kiss, _kiss_ him like there was no tomorrow… Yamaguchi squeezed his eyes shut for a moment to calm his breathing. It would do _no good_ to act all excited again. Tsukishima was sleeping soundly and he didn’t want to wake him up.

Braving a movement, he reached out and let his fingers brush against the hair on Tsukishima’s forehead. Pushing them away, Yamaguchi smiled faintly when they revealed more of the sleeping mortal’s face. His fingers slowly dragged down, his touch barely ghosting against the outline of Tsukishima’s lips. They were just as soft on his fingers as they were on his mouth.

Suddenly, a hand lifted and heavily clamped down on his, causing Yamaguchi to squeak in embarrassment, his face flushing a horrid red.

“S-Sorry, Tsu-!”

“Caught you,” came the sleepy voice, and Yamaguchi’s heart thumped wildly in his chest. Oh, how unfair it was that Tsukishima could send him on such an emotional rollercoaster such as this. His voice was low and rough and his eyes weren’t even open yet. The fingers tightened around his own.

“I didn’t mean to wake you!” Yamaguchi whispered frantically, trying to justify his actions, but stopped when Tsukishima moved. The mortal tugged his hand towards his lips and pressed a faint kiss against the back of his fingers.

“You didn’t,” Tsukishima mumbled sleepily again. “You were staring.”

Yamaguchi was sure that his face morphed to a darker shade of crimson as Tsukishima finally cracked open a single eye, a grin sliding onto his face. Seriously, if Yamaguchi hadn’t already died, he would’ve happily gone to the afterlife at this moment right here.

Unsure of what to say, he gave the mortal a soft smile, curling up more. “Sorry,” he said, watching the mortal shake his head.

“What time is it?” He asked quietly, releasing Yamaguchi’s hand to rub at his face. “Did you sleep? Oh – sorry.”

Yamaguchi shrugged. “It’s okay. And it’s almost dawn.”

Silence stretched out between them but it wasn’t uncomfortable. It was simply the knowledge that Tsukishima had to go soon and if Yamaguchi had his way, he would _not_ let the mortal leave his bed.

There was a loud ‘whump!’ and the spirit squeaked once again as a much larger body fell on top of him, squishing him against the sheets. Tsukishima was nuzzling his face into Yamaguchi’s shoulder, his arms tightening around his waist. The spirit felt like his head would absolutely _burst_ at all of this affection.

_What the HELL Tsukki, you cannot DO THIS TO ME IF YOU VALUE MY SANIT-_

“Sorry,” Tsukishima said quietly, freezing the spirit completely.

Yamaguchi’s brows furrowed as he tried to turn his head to look at the mortal who was practically latched on him. “For what?” He asked in confusion.

“For this.” Fingers suddenly dug into his waist and began rapidly moving and Yamaguchi _screeched._

“T-TSUKKI! AHA! AHA S-STOP! PLEASE- OH MY _GOD- AHAHA STOP-_ “

The door to his room slammed open and two forms filled the light from the hallway. Tanaka was holding his long _bo_ and Nishinoya looked ready to pounce. The fingers mercilessly tickling his sides halted abruptly and Yamaguchi gasped for breath, writhing in both pain and giggles underneath the mortal. But they both looked up at the two newcomers.

“YAMAGUCHI ARE YOU OKA- Oh!” Tanaka seemed to freeze and Nishinoya started laughing hysterically.

“RYUU!” The weaponmaker shouted as the redness on Yamaguchi’s face made him feel like he shoved his face into the sun. He looked up to see that Tsukishima had dropped his own head, hiding it against Yamaguchi’s chest. “FALSE ALARM!” Nishinoya laughed, all but shoving his stunned friend out of the room. “OUT, OUT, OUT, OUT!”

The door slid shut loudly, leaving the two in a silent room. Yamaguchi didn’t realize he was holding his breath until he let it out in one go with a quiet ‘Oh my god.’

“Tsukki – oh my god.”

Finally, the mortal sat up, the usual stoic expression on his face once more. Yamaguchi looked at him in concern. What was going to happen? Was he going to yell? Would Tsukishima say this was no longer worth it? Would he go out and try and fight Tanaka and Nishinoya and destroy all hopes at a decent friendship between any of them?

The mortal ran his fingers through his hair and shrugged nonchalantly. “At least they didn’t walk in while we were kissing.”

\------

As they neared the edge of the forest, the early streams of daylight were already flooding the ground and the sun was making its steady rise in the sky. Despite this, however, Yamaguchi watched as Tsukishima continuously yawned during their little trek.

The small spirit was by his side, hands clasped behind his back as he walked contentedly alongside the other man. They weren’t doing anything different, like holding hands or something, but they didn’t really need to. Yamaguchi could feel everything through the bond.

Affection, happiness, all that and the usual stuff, but Tsukishima was also _very_ tired. It made sense, though, seeing as being forced to feel immeasurable pain and then having to deal with terrible news such as the Wraith would make even Yamaguchi feel completely mentally drained.

He admired the way Tsukishima seemed to hold up, however, almost ignoring the fact that he had a wraith on his heels. Yamaguchi could tell that he was simply putting up a front for him, though, because the anxiety was still there, bubbling deep within the bond like an impending disaster. The recruiter wasn’t entirely sure what he could do because Tsukishima certainly came off as wanting no comfort whatsoever, but he figured that was a front as well.

“Go home and take another nap,” Yamaguchi said firmly as Tsukishima’s car came into view on the path.

“That’s the plan,” the mortal said and stopped once they neared the edge of the forest. He turned to look back at Yamaguchi. “Are you going to be okay heading back?”

The recruiter nodded with a smile. “Hinata had his shift last night so he should be finished by now. I’ll find him and we can go back together.” _Tsukki is concerned_ , he thought with a giddy feeling. He could tell that the other felt his emotions through the bond because the mortal suddenly flushed and turned his head away with furrowed brows.

“What, I can’t be worried?” He muttered and Yamaguchi suddenly had the urge to laugh. How this man was able to do a complete flip from being boldly romantic to endearingly stubborn was a mystery.

“No, no,” Yamaguchi chuckled, shaking his head. “I think it’s very sweet.”

“I’m not _sweet_ -“

“Liar~!”

Tsukishima rolled his eyes with a quiet ‘tch’ before his shoulders relaxed a bit more and he rubbed at his neck. “Alright. I’m going to go before I end up crashing my car. Lucky today’s my day off,” he mumbled.

“Drive safe,” Yamaguchi hummed, stepping forward. He wasn’t _expecting_ anything…no, of course not… But if his actions elicited something he would not be against whatever it was.

The mortal opened his arms and Yamaguchi had to bite down his lip to hide a grin. _Bingo._ Practically falling into the embrace, he squeezed Tsukishima tightly around the torso, burying his face against his chest. Breathing him in was like breathing in an addictive scent that drove him wild. Before he could pull away, he felt the faint touch of lips to the top his head, freezing him in place.

_Tsukki if you tell me you’re not sweet one more time I swear to god –_

“I’ll see you later,” came the quiet voice and Yamaguchi nodded in agreement. The arms slowly retracted from around his body and Tsukishima gave him one last wave before trudging back towards his car. Yamaguchi watched as the small vehicle drove away before spinning around, his hand gripping at his chest.

_God_ , this was crazy. It was absolutely _insane_. The fact that he, a spirit, and Tsukishima, a mortal, were in any sort of romantic… _whatever_ this was, couldn’t even register properly in his mind. Was this alright? Was this _okay_? It certainly felt more than okay but granted, that’s how everything new and exhilarating always felt. He didn’t even have the chance to speak to Daichi or Suga about it yet.

_I’ll just ask Hinata_ , he thought as he stepped back into the forest, headed for the area that the fast recruiter usually preferred. It was a grove of thick trees that had the ‘perfect branches,’ or so Hinata would say. _He’s been a spirit the longest. Surely he’d know what to do._

As he neared Hinata’s favourite spot, he glanced around trying to spot the telltale orange hair. It was bright enough for the other recruiter to be easily spotted but even though Yamaguchi circled every tree within a fifty-foot radius, Hinata was nowhere to be seen.

_It’s too late in the morning for him to even be out here anymore,_ Yamaguchi concluded, turning away to quickly walk back towards Moonlight Station. _Maybe he left way earlier._

The ride back was uneventful and even the usual chatter coming from the Center was a nice thing to come home to as Yamaguchi quickly hopped off the trolley in search of his friend. When he stepped in he nearly ran into Nishinoya, who was carrying a handful of weapons in his arms.

“Noya! Have you seen Hinata?” The recruiter asked, eyes scanning the bundle of weapons for anything that could strike his interest. He was more than satisfied with his _tantos_ though.

“Nope!” The smaller spirit said, shaking his head adamantly. “Wasn’t he on shift?”

“Yeah, I figured he’d be back by now though,” Yamaguchi said, shrugging.

Nishinoya shrugged as well, jostling the weapons he held. Yamaguchi shot his arms out to help steady them. “Well, who knows. Ask Yachi?”

Yamaguchi hummed in agreement, waving goodbye to the weaponmaker who continued to skip down the hall, calling for Asahi to take the load of his arms. The recruiter walked over to Yachi’s room, where he knew she spent most of her mornings indulging in her hobbies. Knocking and poking his head in, he saw her sitting on the floor with her back against her bed, braiding what looked like more bracelets.

“Yachi! Have you seen Hinata?” He asked, watching the small fingers fly deftly over the strings. It was in the same design as Tsukishima’s bracelet but this time, a small leaf encased in amber was being strung along.

“Hi Yamaguchi,” she said with a smile, looking up from her work. She tilted her head slightly. “No, I haven’t. Didn’t he come back from his shift?”

The male recruiter tugged at a piece of hair. “Well yeah, he’s supposed to. I just haven’t found him around yet.”

Worry flashed on Yachi face, as it always did whenever a situation had to do with Hinata, who she basically regarded as her older brother. Much like Yamaguchi and Yachi’s relationship, the other recruiter had taken an immediate liking to the female spirit, dragging her along on all the adventures that Yamaguchi was too freaked out to try. Also, Yachi had a better handle at getting Hinata to calm down.

“I-I don’t know,” Yachi said, setting down the bracelet she was working on. “Should we ask Daichi? He never stays out this long.”

Yachi’s concern was making Yamaguchi unreasonably worried despite the fact that it was just _Hinata_ and everything was usually fine when it came to him. For all they knew, he could’ve simply disappeared to Nekoma or Yokohama without even a moment’s notice as he did every once in a while.

The other recruiter was already standing up and putting her crafts away, worry creasing her forehead. Yamaguchi figured that having Daichi confirm the orange-haired recruiter’s presence would put Yachi at peace of mind.

“Sure,” Yamaguchi said, sliding her door open all the way so that she could step out with him. While he was positive that the whole situation really wasn’t that bad, seeing Yachi quietly fret gave the recruiter a strange sense of foreboding. Biting his lower lip, he followed the girl in search of the Center’s chief.

They found him in the kitchen, sitting and talking to Suga who was nursing a cup of tea. Their wounds were still prominent, as was Yamaguchi’s own aches and sores, yet they still smiled in greeting when the two recruiters arrived.

“Yamaguchi, did you get some rest?” Suga asked, looking up at him with searching eyes. It was useless to lie to Suga.

“Yes,” he admitted, trying to keep the blush from staining his cheeks. _Tsukishima_ had certainly gotten rest. Yamaguchi was too busy staring at him the entire night to do anything but lay there. “And you two?”

Suga nodded and Daichi hummed in agreement. The chief’s gaze landed on Yachi who was still smiling hesitantly. “What’s up?” He asked, the question directed to the smaller recruiter.

“Have you seen Hinata, Daichi?” Yachi asked, pressing up close to the table. “Yamaguchi said he hasn’t seen him since his shift ended and I’m worried.” The chief looked faintly surprised at the question and much like Yamaguchi did earlier, he glanced out the window to check the sunlight.

“Are you sure? It’s morning.”

Yamaguchi nodded, looking at Suga. “I mean, he could’ve gone somewhere or stayed in one place too long. He does that.”

The swordsmaster’s finger rubbed against the side of his cup. “That’s true but I’d really prefer if he went straight back here and got some rest. Why he was so gung-ho about going on shift tonight, I have no clue,” Suga sighed. “I’m sure he’ll show up –“

“Oi! Hinata!” A figure slid into the kitchen before halting, looking at them all in confusion. Nishinoya blinked for a bit before scowling, crossing his arms. “He’s not back yet? Really, I thought he would be here by now.”

Daichi rose, brows knitted. It wasn’t odd that spirits went and did their own thing, but Hinata was almost always a constant presence in Karasuno and even if he decided to leave or stay out, he never failed to tell someone. “You haven’t seen him either, Noya?”

The weaponmaster rolled his eyes. “ _No,_ and I really need to check his _kamas_ to make sure they’re okay. I have no clue what that Wraith is capable of doing to your guys’ weapons. Seriously, he was supposed to be here _a while_ ago.”

A while ago.

Hinata never let things sit for ‘a while,’ _especially_ when it came to his weapons.

A thump was heard and everyone looked over when Yachi had slammed her hands onto the table, looking at Daichi and Suga with a desperate expression. “We need to find him,” she demanded with no negotiation in her voice.

The chief looked startled but worry was also blossoming on his face. He glanced at Suga who nodded. “Let’s do a quick sweep of the forest,” he suggested.

It didn’t take long before Nishinoya’s loud voice had informed everyone in the shelter that they were missing a member. Tanaka was outraged, claiming to fight ‘whatever tree Hinata had taken too much of a liking to this time.’ Leaving Ennoshita and his company at the Center to watch over it, Daichi led the group of all the recruiters including Suga, Nishinoya and even Asahi, out to the forest. The large spirit was horribly worried about the situation, although it was largely Nishinoya’s fault for emphasizing every possible bad outcome that could’ve befallen the recruiter in the forest.

They immediately set off in tiny groups or pairs, attempting to divide and conquer as much of their territory of the forest as possible. Nishinoya leaped into the trees with Tanaka right behind him and Saeko settled on staying aside Asahi, trying to calm the man down as he frantically searched behind bushes. Yamaguchi stuck with Kiyoko and Yachi as the smaller recruiter zoomed back and forth through the foliage, calling out for Hinata’s name.

When it became too late in the morning for _any_ spirit to be out recruiting, they met up in a small clearing with unease settling heavy in all of their chests. _Where was Hinata?_

“Maybe he’s in Yokohama?” Saeko suggested, crossing his arms. There was no reason for Hinata to go to the street right after a shift but they had no better suggestion. Perhaps Hinata genuinely wanted food or some excitement, though it was hard to imagine that after the Wraith’s attack, anyone would want to dive into having fun immediately.

They trolleyed it over to the street, Yamaguchi noting how there were people again, milling about. There was still a tense feeling in the air and as they walked, eyes followed their strange-yet-popular procession.

_‘What are they doing, altogether?’_ Whispers wafted through the air.

_‘Aren’t those all the recruiters at Karasuno?’_

_‘Even their chief and swordsmaster, huh. What’s going on?’_

_‘Who’s that big one? And the small one?’_

_‘Those are the famous weaponmakers! Don’t you know?’_

_‘The duo! The sibling duo! I heard they tag team recruit!’_

_‘Isn’t that the assassin? And her apprentice!’_

_‘Look, it’s the spectre-maker.’_

Yamaguchi immediately tuned out after it had become too much, focusing on their brisk walk through the street. They weren’t _legends_. They all came to Yokohama on a regular basis for food and enjoyment so it wasn’t like seeing them was _rare_. Irritation riddled his chest when he realized that the people only began to talk as soon as something bad was linked to their name. How many times would he have to apologize to the universe just for people to realize that he _did not mean to bring this upon the spirit world_?

He was already guilty enough and now it was simply turning into anger. But he knew that even if he walked up to a random spirit and yelled in their face how he did _not_ make spectre, they wouldn’t believe him. The people believed what they wanted to believe and seeing a mortal in the middle of a festival was more than enough to provide evidence for any wild notion they had.

So all Yamaguchi could do was listen to the rumours and ignore them as best as he could. _He_ knew what Tsukishima was and wasn’t. He was fully aware what he had done to the mortal. And as long as _he_ knew, then who cared about anyone else and their own opinions? _It’s not like Tsukki kissed them or anything_ , he thought petulantly.

Daichi was stepping into Sakanoshita and Yamaguchi admired the chief’s bravery. Just looking at the shop signs was already giving him anxiety because what if the Wraith was just sitting there like last time, ready to do far worse than simply touching his bond?

Luckily, only a handful of customers were inside and Ukai himself was bringing around food. The restaurant owner stopped when the large group stepped in, however, and the level of chatter in the establishment dipped for a few seconds before resuming.

“Daichi,” Ukai said, placing a platter down and walking over to greet them. He, too, looked a bit stressed but he gave them all a smile. “Back so soon? Though I’ve gotta ask, no more confrontations in my restaurant, please.”

The chief shook his head with a rueful smile. “No, it’s not that. I’m really sorry about it, though. Luckily nothing was broken.”

Ukai sighed, running his fingers through his two-toned hair. “Nothing but my own sanity. What _was_ that thing? Are you guys okay?” His eyes flickered to the marks on Suga’s neck. Yamaguchi watched as the swordsmaster looked away.

Daichi nodded. “Yes, we’re fine. And it’s a wraith, but that’s all we know about it, really. Anyway, it shouldn’t be back here for a while.” There was the left out ‘ _we hope_ ’ thought. “But we were wondering, has Hinata stopped by recently? Like, this morning or during the night?”

“Hinata?” Ukai repeated, rubbing at his chin. He shook his head, looking confused. “No, haven’t seen him. Not even on the streets either, and I usually hear a lot about what happens on the street,” he said, jerking his thumb back to point at a group of loud spirits who were talking and laughing, probably gossiping.

Yachi’s quiet sound of frustration made Yamaguchi reach over and slide an arm around her shoulder. The situation was slowly getting worse and if Ukai didn’t see Hinata, then there was only one other place he could go. But _why_ the recruiter would go to such lengths to visit the place while injured and tired, Yamaguchi couldn’t figure out why.

He looked at Daichi who was rubbing his neck and staring at a table in concerned thought. Ukai turned to take a platter from a passing waiter, glancing at the troubled group. “Why? Did he run off or something?”

Yamaguchi spoke up. “He didn’t come back from his shift,” he explained and Ukai’s lips quirked down.

“Huh. Well, I’m sure he’ll pop up. That one doesn’t just disappear, you know? He kind of just…always _appears_ instead.”

The group couldn’t help but ripple with chuckles and Daichi nodded. “Well, thank you Ukai. We’ll see you later, okay?”

“Good with me,” the restaurant owner said, already turning away to tend to customers. “Next dinner is on me!”

They stepped out quickly, not wanting to attract any more attention than the dozens of stares that they earned in the restaurant. The sun was now at its zenith, marking noon, and the unease in Yamaguchi’s chest didn’t die down. Noon was definitely not a time for a spirit to be recruiting and if he knew Hinata well enough, the recruiter would’ve booked it to Yokohama after coming back and seeing only Ennoshita in the Center.

“So, back to Karasuno?” Tanaka asked, scratching at his head as he squinted through the bright sunlight.

“No,” Yachi said immediately, looking up at Daichi for confirmation. The chief nodded silently.

“Where to, then?” Saeko asked, popping the lollipop that she had swiped from another store out of her mouth and waving it around. “He could be back at the center waiting for us?”

“Nekoma,” the chief said, and Tanaka let out a low ‘oooooh.’ “We’ll ask Kenma if he or any of his animals have seen him,” he explained, leading the way back to the trolley. Soon, they were speeding off to the forest of animal patrons.

The ride was longer than it was to get from Yokohama to Karasuno but it wasn’t long before they were rolling to a stop. Nekoma’s station was akin to Karasuno’s, a small wooden platform with a tiny sign. The building behind it, however, was more of a tower than a shrine. It rose several levels up towards the sky and unlike Karasuno’s noisy chatter, the tower was relatively quiet. Reasons being that most of Nekoma’s spirits preferred being out in the forest and the higher the floor, the more likely a spirit shifter such as a bird would take it.

Yamaguchi had only been to Nekoma a handful of times in his life, usually with Hinata whenever he came to visit Kenma. It was a pretty place, seeing as nature bloomed full force around Nekoma’s tower, and Yamaguchi made a mental note that he should visit more often.

They didn’t bother with knocking or anything, walking right into the center. It was a large open area with no obstructions and lots of huge pillows. Nekoma strived for total comfort.

While it might have been rude to walk in unannounced, it was common knowledge to most spirits that unlike most establishments where a spirit or two would stick around to hold down the center, every shifter was out in the wild. Yet in some weird animal way, they knew whenever they had visitors.

A bird flitted through a window within a couple of seconds, landing on a small post next to Daichi’s head. Inouka shifted immediately, a surprised smile on his over-excited face. “Woooaahhh! A huge Karasuno group! It’s a pleasure to have you!”

“Hello Inouka,” Suga said cheerfully. “Is anyone else around?”

The swallow patron shook his head. “Nope! But Kenma’s on his way over. I think he noticed when it was more than just Shou-chan stepping in.”          As if on cue, a calico cat slinked over the sill of another window, padding over quickly to the group near the entrance. Kenma shifted, a surprised and slightly concerned look on his face.

“Sawamura,” he said, shock colouring his tone. “It’s good to see you.” Feline eyes darted over every single member in the group and they narrowed slightly. “Where’s Shouyou?”

Silence.

Kenma stared at them and Inouka rocked on his perch, eyes widening. “Ooo, that’s right! Shou-chan’s not here. That’s funny, usually it’s him who’s around, not the rest of Karasuno.” He laughed, but the group of recruiters were trying to maintain a semblance of calm.

“Kenma,” Daichi said slowly, and Yamaguchi saw Yachi drop her face into her hands. “Hinata isn’t here?”

The chief of Nekoma shook his head adamantly. “I haven’t seen him since the last festival, actually,” he said quietly. “Why? What’s going on? Why are you all here?”

Suga interlaced his fingers together as he spoke. “We haven’t seen Hinata since he left for his recruiting shift last night. He didn’t come back this morning. We checked Ukai’s place but he hasn’t been at Yokohama at all. We wanted to check here as well.”

Kenma’s brows knitted and he rubbed his arm. “No. We haven’t seen him.”

“I see,” Daichi said, rubbing his face. “That’s alright. Have any of your animals?”

At that question, Inouka shook his head quickly. “No, I doubt it! What’s weird is that all during last night, they were at the center. Let me tell you, there were _a lot_ of animals. For some reason, they didn’t want to go back into a forest and just today we’re helping them all get back.” Kenma nodded at the explanation.

“Something was out there, we figured.” The cat spirit looked troubled. “Even Yamamoto had a few bears in here. None of them wanted to leave.”

That statement struck chords of fear within everyone and Yamaguchi felt fear grip him. What was out there? Surely, not the Wraith? There was no reason for it to be _anywhere_ on Karasuno’s territory seeing as it seemed to hate all and every spirit. Plus, wouldn’t they have been able to notice? Didn’t they have alarms for stuff like this or something?

“Well,” Daichi started off, “We’re looking for him. If you or anyone else sees him, let us know, please?”

Kenma nodded. “Of course. We’ll keep a lookout.”

“Thank you,” the chief murmured, turning away to lead the group back out. Kenma’s voice held him back, though.

“Daichi… Is everything okay? I heard about what happened recently and Yaku…” He trailed off, lips pressed into a thin line. He didn’t want to go into too much detail in front of too many people but Yamaguchi knew exactly what he meant. He wondered if the rabbit was also afraid of Tsukishima.

The chief smiled faintly and nodded. “We’re handling things. Thank you for worrying. For now, we’re just trying to find Hinata.”

“I will let you know immediately,” the other chief said.

They left with short goodbyes, Inouka promising to set his birds into the sky to look. When they were all back on the trolley, traveling back to Karasuno, an awful silence had settled upon all of them.

Hinata was the oldest spirit out of every single one of them in the Center but he still had the mentality and tendencies of the adolescent that he was as a mortal. There were numerous things he could’ve gotten himself into but Hinata wasn’t _that_ stupid. His favourite places were all struck off the list and even the spirits in the street from other places hadn’t seen him. Hinata was nowhere to be found.

Yamaguchi worried his bottom lip anxiously, watching the blur of foliage pass by the window. Yachi was quiet next to him, yet it was obvious to everyone that one wrong prod and she might start crying. She cared for Hinata and his safety on a level unknown to even Suga. Kiyoko had a reassuring arm wrapped around her.

Tanaka looked frustrated and Saeko pissed, no doubt worried where their little ray of sunshine disappeared to. Nishinoya was leaning against Asahi, who looked like his concern was eating him alive. The Chief had his fingers laced and his forehead pressed against them, leaning forward on his thighs. Suga had a hand on his back as he stared blankly ahead of him. Everyone looked distressed and Yamaguchi felt scared.

_Hinata… where are you?_

\--------

_The Wraith moved silently, a skill he had perfected over the ages of time. He did not slink, for that was suspicious. He did not creep because that too amateur. He did not ‘steal about’ because he had more dignity than that. No, the Wraith strode down the street proudly, yet quietly. There was no intimidation in stealth._

_He climbed the steps to the apartment, hands clasped behind his back. It reminded him of a time so long ago that he had practically forgotten all about it now. A time that he had suppressed within his memories so deeply that it was meaningless to try and dredge them up now._

_The apartment door was locked, as any good person should do with their home, but it didn’t deter the Wraith. A single tendril wormed its way into the little keyhole and within seconds, the Wraith was stepping in, making sure to brush the dirt from his feet. He wouldn’t stoop so low as to removing his shoes, but he could always follow at least a little courtesy._

_“Sorry for the intrusion,” he said quietly, a lazy smile on his face as his gaze swept the area. It was a small hallway and the doorway to the kitchen was wide open. Peeking in, he noticed no one was around._

_The hallway was quite bare, consisting of very few things and nothing of interest. The living room was much more interesting. “Games,” the Wraith muttered, toeing the black console with a polished shoe. He had seen a few of these before in the memories of others. “A child,” he tutted. Cases of some sort filled a few shelves and a large TV was set up. No pictures or anything worth of sentiment could be found._

_“What a boring person,” the Wraith drawled to no one in particular, turning away and stepping back into the hallway. He wandered down towards the back rooms, taking his time and staying quiet. He opened the door to the first room, quirking a brow at what he saw inside._

_A figure was on the bed, sleeping soundly with blinds drawn to shield the sun from coming in. “What’s this? Sleeping at noon? How much of a useless mortal are you?” The Wraith snickered quietly as he stepped up to the bed, peering down. Tsukishima Kei’s sleeping face looked back up at him and the Wraith curled a lip in distaste._

_“Ugly,” he muttered. “The famed phantom is nothing but a stupid mortal, as suspected.” He straightened up, shaking his head. “Useless.”_

_His eyes drifted to the desk and shelves filling up the rest of the room and he meandered over, picking up the single frame that stood in solitude on the desk. It was the only picture he had seen in the apartment yet and he raised a brow at the two figures in it._

_“A brother?” he purred, peering at the smiling face of Akiteru, who had an arm slung around his younger brother. The Wraith looked up towards the doorway. Setting down the picture frame, he stepped out of the bedroom, walking towards the room across from it. Walking in without hesitation, he grinned when he looked around._

_The room was filled with things that actually made it looked inhabited, unlike Tsukishima’s bare room. Akiteru had books overflowing shelves and more game cases scattered on the floor. The bed wasn’t made and the desk was cluttered with papers that looked important._

_Unable to stop himself, the Wraith let out a laugh. “I see. A brother.”_

\-------

When Tsukishima woke up at nearly two in the afternoon, the first thing he thought was how happy he was he didn’t have work today.

The second thing he thought was that Yamaguchi was a _fantastic_ kisser.

How the other man learned how to do it that well, the world may never know, and Tsukishima didn’t really want to think about Yamaguchi ‘practicing’ with other people in his past. The point was that Tsukishima had done the unthinkable and the results had turned out pretty good. _Pretty damn good_.

Speaking his true thoughts and acting as boldly as he did that night were definitely not part of his character, but Yamaguchi had a tendency of making him want to adventure with his life and so there he was, demanding that Yamaguchi just accept him and be over with it.

He had gotten kisses out of it so it was completely worth it. In fact, he had been on such a high that even Tanaka and Nishinoya’s abrupt appearance didn’t do much to embarrass him.

_I’ll visit again tomorrow after work_ , he decided, sliding off the bed and stretching, rubbing his face of the hours of sleep.

Stomach grumbling with the want for food, he padded towards the kitchen in hopes that he had leftover _something_ still in the fridge, only to stop short and stare in growing horror at the person sitting comfortably at his table. He was drinking tea – did Tsukishima even _own_ tea?! – and looked up when he stepped in. A malicious looking smile slid onto his face.

“Who… who the _fuck_ are you?” Tsukishima barked, rubbing at his eyes to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. The stranger had fucking ridiculous hair that looked like he shoved it in the reddest can of red paint at the store. He was also wearing a suit. What the _fuck_. “How the hell did you get into my apartment?”

The stranger set down his cup delicately and Tsukishima was _definitely_ sure that he didn’t own that kind of cheesy Chinese set. “What terrible manners,” he said, shaking his head. “You know, I heard you were terrible but I couldn’t imagine you were _this_ bad.”

Tsukishima stared at him in loss, trying to imagine what he could’ve even been talking about. “I don’t care?” He said scowling. “How the hell did you get in? And who are you?”

There were knives in the kitchen that he could use as self-defense but they were across from him in a drawer behind the stranger. There was a baseball bat in a box somewhere in storage that he doubted he could find in a few minutes. There were his _wakizashis_ … but no, not a good idea. He tried to calculate the outcomes of the situation as quickly as possible as the stranger began to speak.

“Well, since you’re _so_ rude in forcing me to go first… I’m the Wraith of the –“

“Holy shit,” Tsukishima interjected immediately, fear flooding his chest. It was the _Wraith_ , this was the guy who had beaten up Daichi and Suga and even _Yamaguchi_ and this guy was here, in his HOUSE, and Tsukishima was just not having it. “You’re the Wraith. Get the fuck out.”

The Wraith looked stunned at Tsukishima’s immediate response but the smile bounced back like nothing was wrong. He even titled his head so far sideways that Tsukishima openly shuddered. “What a shame,” the Wraith said with a voice like ooze. “And here I was, hoping my surprise visit would be effective.”

_It’s damn fucking effective. Now get the fuck out of my apartment._

“What are you doing here?” Tsukishima asked, forcing himself to stay as calm as possible and to speak with as clear a voice as he could. This creature was here _for_ him. He had hurt Yamaguchi and the others because it wanted _him_. Well, whatever happened, Tsukishima would not go easily.

“Mm, no reason,” the Wraith said with a shrug. “Simply decided to look around, scope you out as a person. Get to know you.” This time it was a toothy grin that reminded Tsukishima of a shark. Maybe the _wakizashis_ weren’t so bad of an idea…

The look that he gave the Wraith apparently wasn’t one that he as expecting because the man sighed and placed his hands on his lap, fingers laced. “Look. I’m sure they’ve told you all about me but I’m here to pitch my sale in a much nicer way.”

“Like anything you say could be nice.”

“You have a tongue,” the Wraith said, interested. “Well, you see, I know what happened at Yokohama, Tsukishima.” He spoke with such a reassuring tone, as if trying to convince the mortal that what he did wasn’t his fault and that everything would be okay. Coming from someone like Suga, fine. Coming from him? Not so much. “People found out you were a mortal, didn’t they?”

Tsukishima stayed silent, trying not to answer and fall into the trap of possibly saying something the Wraith wanted to hear. He desperately wished he had _something_ in his hands to grip and feel protected by since he knew that this guy was capable of weird things. Unfortunately, all he could do was stand still and listen.

“Do you know how Yokohama’s been like, recently? Everyone’s scared. Everyone thinks something is coming for them and the only word on their lips is ‘spectre.’ But you’re not a spectre, aren’t you? You’re something else.”

_A phantom_ , Tsukishima’s mind helpfully supplied, recalling the time that Yamaguchi had told him about the silly nickname. It meant nothing before but now it held weight. He was _not_ a spectre. But he also wasn’t a mortal anymore.

“But they don’t know that and they won’t believe you or anyone else at your little recruitment center. Which, speaking of… that name is tarnished too, did you know?” The little smile on the Wraith’s face made Tsukishima’s stomach flip in a bad way.

“What do you mean…?” he said forced out.

“I mean that everyone is now suspicious of your center. Because of you. People think Sawamura’s hiding a spectre and just that thought alone is enough to nurture the seed of doubt within everyone.”

Tsukishima’s hands tightened into fists at his sides. He couldn’t let the Wraith’s words get to him. He _knew_ that he had brought trouble onto the Center and he was fully aware that what would happen would hurt for a while. Daichi had told him that, at least. So what the Wraith was doing now was trying to get him to feel overflowing guilt, which Tsukishima refused to let drag him down.

“So don’t you see, Tsukishima? You’re just going to become a hassle if you don’t leave. But I promise that I can _help_ you-“

“Leave.” Tsukishima’s firm voice stopped the Wraith midsentence.

The man’s eyes narrowed. “You’re strong, Tsukishima,” he said, changing topics. “I could sense it from you even from the forest. There is something about you that’s overwhelmingly strong. And don’t you think the others haven’t noticed it either? You strike fear just by _being_.”

Tsukishima pointed at the door. “I said leave. Why the fuck would I want to have anything to do with you? Go the fuck away.”

The Wraith stood, shaking his head. “I’m telling you, Tsukishima, I have a paradise in mind and you’re something that I would desperately like to see as a part of it. We can work together. As neither spirit nor mortal, we _belong_ together.”

_Now that just sounds uncomfortably gross_ , Tsukishima thought as he stalked over to the door and threw it open. What gave him these bouts of bravery, he had no clue, but he wanted the Wraith _out_. The man strode over slowly, sighing. “Is there anything I can do or say that will get you to at least consider the offer?” He sounded genuinely disappointed at his pathetic failure in trying to get Tsukishima to join him. “Anything at all?”

“No,” Tsukishima said firmly.

“I’m sure you’ll at least think over it, right? Think about the change you’ll be making; how good the center will be with you?”

_Yamaguchi would hate me if I left._ “No,” he said again.

The Wraith pouted petulantly as he stepped outside of the apartment. Tsukishima promptly slammed the door in his face, locking it as quickly as he could. A voice rang out from the other side, however.

“Will bribery work?”

Tsukishima felt anger sizzle within him. “ _No_ ,” he said again, reaching for the drawer with the knives.

“Blackmail?”

“You have _nothing-_ “

“ _Hostages?_ ”

That froze Tsukishima in his tracks as he whipped his head towards the door. For some reason, the way he said that made him feel nauseous, like the Wraith knew something that he didn’t. Or… _had_ something that he didn’t.

“What are you talking about?” He spoke weakly, unsure if his voice even reached through the door. Yet the Wraith still heard him.

“I’m sure you’ll think over my offer, Tsukishima,” the man on the other side of the door said casually. “Especially when the lives of two important people you know are at stake.” His voice had suddenly dropped to such a low level, sounding insidious and malicious. Tsukishima stared at the door in fear.

“W-Who do you…”

“Some sort of orange, hyperactive little sunburst and his new friend, a mortal. I’m sure you know him. Kageyama’s his name…was it?”

Tsukishima felt his face drain of all blood and the knife fell from his hand. _How…How, why, when, what… Kageyama and hyperactive little…? Hinata???_

While Tsukishima was busy processing the information, a low laugh seemed to seep through the door. “As I said, it’s your choice. Think about it,” came the voice.

Lunging for the handle, Tsukishima threw open the doorway with his mouth open, ready to demand questions. Panic was fueling his actions. But no one was there and the only sound was the faint rustle of the trees in the forest. The Wraith had disappeared.

Slamming the door shut, Tsukishima stared at it, aghast. He looked at the tea cup still on the table and he wanted to destroy it.

“How the _fuck_ did he get Kageyama?!” He yelled, grabbing the cup and whipping it at the sink. It exploded into tiny slivers, spraying the room with small, painful shards. Tsukishima sprinted back to his room for his coat and keys. His off day was no longer a day of rest. He had to go back to Karasuno.

\-------

The only thing on Tsukishima’s mind as he boarded the trolley and willed it to go faster than it already did was that Kageyama didn’t mean _that_ much to him.

Really, the intern wasn’t his friend like Kuroo was or his boss like Bokuto and Akaashi were. He was just there at their company with them. He wasn’t Tsukishima’s responsibility in the slightest and yet for some reason he felt a world of guilt crashing down at his shoulders at hearing Kageyama’s fate.

There was a huge chance that the Wraith was lying, though. Using information to get under Tsukishima’s nerves and make him break. But even so, how in the world did he even know about Kageyama? It wasn’t a name you could just pick out of the blue and hope that it worked. Especially with the addition of Hinata – those were two people that had nothing to do with each other, yet for some reason were together. It wasn’t _supposed_ to work but Tsukishima felt like there was more than just an inkling of truth in the Wraith’s words.

What was he supposed to do now, be Kageyama’s knight in shining armour? _Gross_. He didn’t even know what to do about the fact that the Wraith didn’t even do much other than drop a few threats and leave. Didn’t he _want_ Tsukishima or something?

A few scenes from the stories he wrote flashed in his mind, the situation eerily similar. Tsukishima grimaced as he jumped onto Karasuno’s platform. _He’s playing with his food,_ he realized moodily.

The center was much more quiet than it usually was, a reflection on how most of the spirits should be resting. But the happy spirit that usually flung the front door open whenever he sensed Tsukishima’s arrival wasn’t there and Tsukishima was left to walk in, confused even more at the complete silence. What, were they _all_ resting?

“Daichi!” He called out, toeing his shoes off and walking quickly towards the Chief’s office. “Daichi, I have news!”

A body obstructed his path when Kinoshita stepped out, holding a small pile of papers. He looked surprised at Tsukishima’s sudden appearance and the mortal had to reach out quickly to stop the papers from scattering to the ground.

“Tsukishima? Oh gosh – thanks. What are you doing here? Yamaguchi’s not here.”

“What? Where is everyone?” Sudden fear filled him, what if the Wraith had gotten all of _them_ too?

Kinoshita hefted the papers in his hands to hold them more firmly. He tilted his head towards the front entrance. “Daichi took all the recruiters and the weaponmakers out searching. They haven’t been able to find Hinata since last night when he went on shift.”

The floor seemed to vanish under Tsukishima’s feet and he sagged against the wall heavily. Kinoshita looked worried. “Tsukishima, are you okay-“

“He has Hinata and Kageyama,” he said, seeing the confusion flash on the other spirit’s face. He never really spoke to Kinoshita, the spirit focusing more on his paper duties rather than dealing with Tsukishima’s snark. But right now the other man was setting the papers down and gripping Tsukishima’s arms, making sure he didn’t slide down. He certainly felt lightheaded.

“Who has who?” The spirit asked, eyes searching Tsukishima’s face.

“The Wraith,” Tsukishima clarified, rubbing his eyes underneath his glasses with his fingers. He heard a small gasp from the other and he nodded. “The Wraith has them both.”

Kinoshita let out a small sound in frustration. “ _Both_? Who’s Kageyama?”

Tsukishima dropped his head against the wall with a resounding thump. “Another mortal. He’s my coworker.”

“Another _mor-!?_ “

“Tsukishima?” Daichi’s voice rang through the hallway and the writer turned to see a huge group of people standing there, shock and fear written on their face. Tsukishima straightened up, and his eyes immediately zeroed in on Yamaguchi who had taken a step forward, shock written on his face.

“Daichi,” he said, ready to explain all over again, but Suga’s loud choke cut him off.

The swordsmaster looked absolutely aghast, the Chief mimicking the expression. “The Wraith has Hinata?” he said, his voice incredulous. Tsukishima nodded numbly. That wasn’t even the worst part.

A warm hand was squeezing his own and he looked down to see Yamaguchi looking up at him with a worried expression. “Who else did you say he had, Tsukki?”

He tightened his grip around Yamaguchi’s, not caring what people thought. The distress must have been evident on his face because the small recruiter suddenly pressed in close, taking this other hand into his own. “He has Kageyama, my coworker.”

“Your coworker?” Daichi suddenly asked, shock on his face. “A mortal?”

Tsukishima nodded, looking up at the group. He wondered where they went, where they looked, how they felt to come back to this sort of news.

“How the heck did he get Hinata and _your coworker_?” Tanaka said, rubbing his head aggressively, confusion on his face. “Did you tell this Kageyama about us or something? Does he know?”

_Yes and no,_ Tsukishima wanted to say. Kageyama definitely knew about them but he had no reason to believe that whatever Tsukishima told him was the truth. But if by chance Kageyama had been _with_ Hinata when they both got captured, then the situation explained itself.

“I don’t know,” Tsukishima answered, looking down. “But let’s just assume he does. He wouldn’t go actively searching for you though.”

“Not the point,” Daichi muttered, rubbing his jaw. Suga was turning away to usher a horror-stricken Yachi to her room. Tsukishima hadn’t noticed but now that he looked, tears were streaming from her face. He knew enough to know that she and Hinata were quite close. “How did you find out?”

Tsukishima hesitated, still confused on the situation that had happened previously. “He came to my apartment-“

“He _what_?!” Nishinoya all but screamed, flailing in surprise so hard that even Asahi stuttered in shock.

“Yeah, I don’t know,” Tsukishima said quickly, feeling the grip around his hands tighten to that of iron strength in seconds. “He came and threatened me and then told me he had Kageyama and Hinata and I just got here to tell you so…”

Daichi looked absolutely struck. “Did he do anything to you? Are you okay?”

Tsukishima nodded. “Yeah, weirdly enough he didn’t even touch me. But he’s just playing with his food,” he trailed off, muttering.

There was movement and suddenly the Chief was walking past Tsukishima, a determined expression on his face. “Daichi-“

“We’ll figure out a plan,” he said, raising a hand to signal that he just needed time to this thoughts. “Summon Suga to me; we are not leaving them in The Shade.”

Tsukishima felt weak. So the Wraith _did_ have them in The Shade. Were they going to storm the darkest part of the forest? Fight a bunch of spectres just to get back a recruiter and that _idiot_ intern of Tsukishima’s? Yes, his training had been leading up to this point but only to an extent. It was to protect _himself_ , not to go charging into war.

Daichi disappeared into his office and the rest of the spirits broke up, speaking quickly about the news and freaking out in their own respective way. A hand tugged on his and he looked down to see Yamaguchi with a grave expression.

“I…I’m sorry,” he started, only to stop talking when Yamaguchi reached up and slapped his open palms on his cheeks, effectively startling the mortal.

Fire blazed in the dark brown orbs. “What the _heck_ do you have to be sorry for? I’m the one who should be sorry. I can’t believe I dragged you _and_ another mortal into this mess.”

“Yamaguchi…”

“No, I’m done feeling sorry for myself. I’m just angry. Are you angry?”

Tsukishima was confused by the question. This wasn’t a normal mood of Yamaguchi’s, this determination and blunt words with a hard edge.

“About what?” He asked, reaching up to put one of his hands over the recruiter’s.

“About the situation, you idiot. Aren’t you angry that he kidnapped Kageyama?”

Tsukishima nodded, not trusting himself with words. In complete honesty, he wasn’t sure if he was more angry at the Wraith for kidnapping them or angry at Kageyama for being such an idiot that he went into the forest for god knows what reason.

“Angry enough to fight spectres?”

“Uh-“

“ _Tsukki, would you fight spectres for Kageyama?_ ”

Tsukishima stared at him, trying to register the question. Kageyama…was a nuisance. He was an obnoxious pest that hovered over Tsukishima’s shoulder while he worked, peppering him with questions. Kageyama, alongside his mediocre skill, was a person that Tsukishima could be totally fine not seeing on a daily basis. _Would_ he fight with his life on the line for this irritation of a man that meant nothing to him?

Would he fight for a man who might not have been his favourite person on the planet, but was a person nonetheless? With a life and a story and a future ahead of him just like Tsukishima had? Would he willingly set aside his prejudices and fight to make sure that Kageyama enjoyed the life that was gifted to him, like any mortal deserved to do? Would he fight the spectres and possibly even the Wraith for the chance of one more mortal in the world, despite annoying, to live the life that the spirits would have wanted him to have?

“Yes,” Tsukishima said, and Yamaguchi smiled brilliantly.

“Good.”

\-------

Akiteru stood by the copy machine, tapping his finger on top and humming quietly as he waited for the papers to stop spewing. He was almost done with his shift for today, simply doing this one little task for his boss.

He liked his job, he really did. It was much better than the boring office job in Tokyo and it was interesting to see how publishers and editors did their thing while still tolerating the whimsical personalities of various writers. Akiteru spent most of his work days imagining his brother walking in the building, giving his new chapters or stories to his personal editors and publishers, looking accomplished and whatnot.

It wouldn’t be long from now, he decided, that Tsukishima would find himself with a connection to Wolf Creek Publishers. Akiteru was there after all, planting the tiny stories of his brother and his stories into the minds of his bosses, who liked him very much and thought Akiteru was a wonderful employee.

“Hey, Akiteru!” A coworker called out and Akiteru looked up with a smile. It was Higarashi, one of his closest friends at work. The editor grinning, waving. “You heading home soon?”

“Yup,” Akiteru said, gesturing at the copy machine. “Just have to bring these over to Yuta-san and I’m ready to go.”

“Sounds good” Higarashi said before looking a bit guilty. “There’s someone at the front asking for you though, so clocking out might have to wait.”

Akiteru looked surprised. He was but an intern, doing small, menial tasks for people with a much higher status and job description. No one really called for _him_. “Are you sure it’s for me?” He asked incredulously, picking up the piles of paper once they had finished printing.

“Yup,” his friend said, gesturing behind him. “Tsukishima Akiteru, they know your full name and everything. He’s wearing a suit. Looks important.”

As startled as he was, he was also slightly intrigued. He didn’t know any reason why upper management would be looking for him but he was curious nonetheless. He held the stack out to Higarashi. “Bring these for me, then?”

The editor raised a single brow before laughing, taking the pile. “Forcing me to do the mule work eh, Aki? Nah, it’s fine. Go get your news or whatever. Hope it’s good!”

Akiteru smiled gratefully, patting his friend on the shoulder as he walked past, looking out curiously towards the front. Higarashi was right, there was a tall man sitting in their waiting area, idly flipping through a magazine. He had a shock of bright red hair and was dressed in a pristine suit, perfectly pressed.

A bit nervous because his boss hadn’t been the one to call him over, he stepped over and bowed slightly. “Good afternoon, sir,” he said, giving the man a polite smile. The stranger looked up and grinned. “I’m Tsukishima Akiteru. Did you ask for me?”

The man stood up so swiftly it was almost like a blur. Akiteru blinked a bit, only to see that the man had stuck his hand out, waiting for a handshake. He obliged, gripping the man’s hand tight and shaking firmly. Everything was based off of a good handshake in the real world.

“Yes! Thank you for seeing me. I’m sorry for not calling ahead.” The stranger dipped his head a little in greeting. “My name is Tendou Satori and I work for a neighbouring publishing company.”

Excitement flared in Akiteru’s chest but he tried to stamp it down quickly. He couldn’t assume this was a job offer and even if it was, he certainly couldn’t just suddenly jump jobs. He was making good progress at Wolf Creek and him working here was also for the sake of his brother. Whatever Tendou had to say would have to be taken with a cool head.

“Is that so!” Akiteru spoke with just the right amount of interest in his words. “What can I help you with? If you want editors or publishers, I’m sorry to say I’m only but an intern – “

“Ohhhh no~” Tendou said, shaking his head. “I want to see you, you’re my focus of interest.”

Akiteru couldn’t help but blink in surprise. He had never been someone’s focus of interest. What did that mean? Was he going to be offered more than a job? Was this guy from upper management from the other company and _force_ a job on him?

“You see, I know your brother and I have a proposal for the two of you in regards to his career.”

That definitely caught his interest. A way for Tsukishima to succeed? Of course that was interesting. Of course, he wouldn’t immediately jump onto the proposal but he’d gladly hear Tendou out.

“I’m interested,” he said earnestly. “Do you want to go into an office or?”

“Would you care to take a walk with me instead?” Tendou said, and Akiteru blinked again. The strange request wasn’t common but he wouldn’t be opposed to it. Plus, you couldn’t really refuse upper management.

“I, sure,” Akiteru said, nodding quickly. “I’m actually about to finish my shift. If it’s alright with you, could I clock out and then we can step out?”

Tendou bowed his head slightly and Akiteru felt slightly embarrassed by how much respect he was getting from such a higher-up man when he was nothing but an intern. “Of course. I’ll just be here.”

Akiteru gave him another polite smile before turning and quickly walking towards the back, stopping by his boss’ door. “Yuta-san,” he called, sticking his head in. The woman looked up from her computer.

“Heading out?” She said with a smile. “I heard you had a visitor? He’s from Bloomsbury. _Huge_ company back in the states. Be good, will you?”

The intern flushed, having just heard where Tendou was from. He was from _Bloomsbury_ , a massive company that flourished and thrived with every new story they had. He nodded adamantly. “But I like it here,” he argued regardless. “You and Higarashi and – “

“Tsukishima,” she drawled, waving a hand in his direction. “I’m busy and you’re going to start rambling. I’d like to keep you here but don’t stop yourself from big opportunities, okay? Now go away. See you tomorrow!”

Smiling warmly at his boss’ stern yet comforting way of showing affection, he nodded, “See you,” he said before spinning away and heading towards the back rooms. Higarashi shot him a wink as he clocked out, giving him a finger gun as he grabbed his coat.

“Get ‘em,” he hooted and Akiteru rolled his eyes.

“It’s not a girl, it’s a job.”

“Good luck then!”

Tendou was still standing by the doorway, his own coat in hand. When Akiteru walked over, the man smiled. “Ready?” He asked, and Akiteru wondered if there was a legitimate chance that he could get Tsukishima into writing for Bloomsbury of all places. That would be a dream come true.

“Yes, thank you for waiting,” Akiteru said as the two stepped out into the cool afternoon air. “Any place in particular you want to go?” He asked a bit hesitantly. He had never really gone on _walks_ with prospective interviewers or employers.

“No,” Tendou said airily, walking down the sidewalk. “But I do just want to shoot a few proposals at you, if that’s alright?”

Akiteru nodded quickly. “Of course. I’m willing to hear anything.”

“Brilliant. Could we stop here for a moment, I thought I saw an animal in that alleyway just now…” Tendou had legitimately stopped to peer into the small street that was crammed between his publishing company and the other business building next to it. Akiteru looked dubiously into the dark. _What a strange man,_ he thought.

“Do you…like animals?” He asked curiously, not wanting to insult the man by dismissing his statement and also completely unsure of what to say.

“To an extent,” Tendou said, and Akiteru watched with widening eyes as the man started walking to where he thought he saw the animal. After hesitating for a moment, Akiteru followed. “Where I live, there’s always little critters nearby. Makes me quite partial to finding them when I catch sight of one.”

Akiteru nodded, glancing around the alley. It wasn’t damp or scary but it was completely deserted and smelled like trash. What was Tendou doing walking so far just to find an animal? It would’ve ran away by now after just hearing their voices. “I see,” he said, before stopping when Tendou stopped before him.

The man turned to face him, hands shoved in his pockets and an easy smile on his face. “Say, Tsukishima-san, do you care a lot for you brother?”

“Yes,” Akiteru replied immediately, bobbing his head up and down. “I do.” Of course he did. Everything he tried to do was for the sake of his brother, if not for himself. He worked to get money to buy things for Tsukishima and even if he had a girlfriend at the moment, she was fully aware that he’d fawn over little volleyball trinkets that he thought Tsukishima would like whenever they went shopping. He supported Tsukishima by buying three copies of every single one of his published works (something he’d never tell his brother), and usually tried to get his coworkers and friends to buy them as well. Of course he cared a lot about Tsukishima.

“Do you think Tsukishima cares a lot about you?”

That… Yes? He was sure. Or else he wouldn’t have still been living in the apartment with their relationship slowly rebuilding itself from the ground up.

“I believe so,” he said slowly, and Tendou smiled toothily.

“Good.”

Suddenly, black masses sprouted from the man’s back and before Akiteru could react, they were gripping at his wrists, legs and torso, squeezing with inhumane strength. The last thing he could think about as black filled his vision was the idea that this man was _certainly_ not from Bloomsbury Publishing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that was that! So many things happening! 
> 
> **Surprise:** Valentine's day is coming up! Curious what might happen? Make sure you check out the next chapter :)
> 
> Kudos and comments are wholly appreciated~!


	13. Red, White and Pink (OMAKE)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **!!!PLEASE READ!!!**   
>  **This is an OMAKE chapter, which means BONUS chapter. This by no means has _direct_ relationship to the current plot nor does it necessarily predict or show spoilers of future events in the fic as a whole.**
> 
>  
> 
> Hello! Juni here with some actual words to say!  
> Too many things are happening, don't you agree? So here's a little reprieve from the angst and suspense! Plus, who doesn't like a little bit of Valentine's day love here and there? _I've had this chapter done for a whole freaking week just to post it on today, goodness._ I do hope you enjoy it! I promise the real plot will continue immediately. 
> 
> Am I a sadist for pulling the rug right under your feet once things started to get more intense?  
>  _maybe_
> 
> This is also dedicated to my beautiful, amazing, friend and support, Ana. You've been waiting patiently for the Bokuaka chapter so I truly hope this does it justice. <3
> 
> Enjoy!

 

 

**PLEASE READ THE NOTE BEFORE STARTING THE CHAPTER**

* * *

 

**For those of you that didn't read the note _or_ follow the directions: This is an OMAKE chapter, which means BONUS chapter. This by no means has _direct_  relationship to the current plot nor does it necessarily predict or show spoilers of future events in the fic as a whole.**

* * *

 

The four men stared at what seemed to be an endless row of pink, red and white. There were cards vomiting up hearts and bears holding massive bouquets and boxes upon boxes of chocolate. Huge paper cut outs of cupids hung from the ceiling and were twisting in lazy circles, their dead and emotionless eyes looking out amongst the shoppers for victims to strike with ‘Valentine’s day’ cheer.

Bokuto was nervously chewing at his nails, completely overwhelmed by the amount of _stuff_ that such a holiday like this one could manage to create. Like, was that a _goose_? Holding a box of chocolates? Who even came up with ideas like that anymore? On second hand, it was pretty cute…

By his sides were his three coworkers, Tsukishima, Kageyama and Kuroo. Unlike him, they all had varying expressions of disgust, confusion and interest, respectively. The company head wanted to bang his head against the shelves in frustration but he knew that somewhere, Akaashi would probably know and get mad. Akaashi _always_ knew.

“I don’t know what to geeeeet,” Bokuto whined loudly, reaching up to grasp his hair tightly and yank. “I don’t know what he liiiiiikes!”

Tsukishima rubbed his face with one hand, irritation pulsing in his temple. “Then don’t get him anything, you idiot-“

“Now, now, Tsukishima,” Kuroo said from the other side of Kageyama, reaching forward to pick out a few cards that struck his interest. They all bore cats in disgustingly cute positions with big bubbled words above them. “This holiday is the ‘you don’t _have_ to get them anything but because of that you need to show them you _will_ ’ holiday.”

The intern looked up at his mentor with a bewildered expression. “That’s just dumb. I can get him anything anytime,” he stated plainly and Tsukishima sighed in agreement.

Bokuto was still not satiated. “Okay but I still don’t know what to get him,” he sighed, reaching out to swipe the first card from the shelf. He grimaced when it had a dog with googly-eyes with a huge speech bubble that said ‘I WOOF YOU!’ in pink. Definitely not Akaashi.

“This isn’t Yamaguchi’s style,” Tsukishima muttered, but Bokuto watched him eye the bottom of the shelf where a card with a punch of pink and white stars dotted its cover. The only thing he knew about the little spirit boyfriend Tsukishima had was that he had freckles and liked the moon.  

“How about you, Kageyama,” Bokuto asked desperately. He needed _some_ sort of reassurance that he could find something that matched Akaashi’s taste. If not, he’d go crazy. “Do you know what you’re giving Hinata?”

The intern flushed. “We’re not-“ he stuttered. “I don’t even know why the hell I’m here, he’s just-“ Kageyama looked so shaken by the question that he even fell into a deep glower, glaring at the cards in front of him. He snatched one off the shelf with a fluffy looking cartoon puppy that was coloured a striking orange. It had huge eyes and a dumb smile. The intern huffed before shoving it back onto the shelf, a slightly mortified look on his face.

“Forget it,” Bokuto groaned, turning away after catching Kuroo’s eye. As expected, the designer turned his frown towards him.

“Hey, why aren’t you asking me? Maybe I can help.”

The chief shot him a look. “You actually don’t have a reason to be here. You’re looking at cards to give a fucking _cat_.”

Kuroo stuck his tongue out at him, sniffing and turning away to pick out a card from the handful he’d chosen. “So? I’m still showing appreciation to something. And at least I know what it likes.”

The jab struck the chief. “Oh yeah? What does the cat like, then?”

“ _Milk_ , dumbass. Speaking of which, I’m going to buy it a toy mouse or something.” With that, Kuroo spun around and walked away, heading for the grocery section of the store. The three other men watched as he walked away before Tsukishima sighed.

“Maybe we should split up. Walk around and see if there’s anything that strikes our interest. Sound good, Bokuto?”

“ _No-_ “

“Alright, cool. See you by the front.”

Kageyama didn’t even bother to look at him, turning around and walking away as Tsukishima did. Bokuto was left with the card in his hand and a whine threatening to come out of his throat.

_Not faaair,_ he thought internally, shoulders slumping as he turned back towards the card shelves. “Everything’s just…too pink,” he muttered. Akaashi wasn’t pink. In fact, he was probably the farthest from. Not like it wouldn’t be interesting to see his lover in pink but…that wasn’t the point. The bears were too obnoxious looking and Akaashi liked chocolate but in increments. Anything Bokuto bought would probably be eaten by himself within the first five minutes. Bouquets were okay, he guessed, but what would Akaashi even like? He wasn’t a florist, he didn’t know what flower held what meaning. What if he accidentally got Akaashi a bouquet that had some sort of subliminal message that said ‘fuck off’ or something? Would Akaashi even know?

He wanted this Valentine’s day to be perfect. They had been together for so long already that the sparkles had faded over time. Of course, they loved each other to death and beyond but Bokuto wanted to take this chance to just surprise him with something fantastic.

Glitter was something surprising. What if he filled the vents with glitter? Ah, no. Last time he did that, Akaashi walked out on him for a few hours. _That_ was a bad time.

Books? No. Akaashi edited so many things already that Bokuto figured that giving the man any more words to read would just be like handing him more work. Plus, the bookshelves they had at home were already exploding with an overflow of novels, books and magazines. Almost anything that caught Bokuto’s eye he usually bought without hesitation.

Maybe he’d just take Tsukishima’s advice and walk around. Standing and staring helplessly at the shelves wouldn’t do any good. Sliding the card back into its slot, he paused when he saw another one just a few shelves down. Reaching for it, his eyes grew wide when he saw its design. He flipped it open quickly and nearly cried in joy when he read the little quirky phrase in the middle.

It was perfect. Absolutely perfect.

\--------

“And… _why_ are you shopping with me again?” The irritated writer asked, shooting a glance at the intern who had stuck to his side the moment they left Bokuto. Kageyama looked just as lost as the chief did and Tsukishima really wasn’t up to deal with him right now.

“Well ours are both spirit so I just figured that maybe you’d-“

“They’re both spirits but they’re also still _people_ , you idiot. With different likes and dislikes.”

Seriously, it wasn’t like Hinata and Yamaguchi had the exact same interests. Just because they hung around constantly, forcing Tsukishima and Kageyama into even closer proximity out of work, didn’t mean that they were the same person or anything.

Kageyama looked offended at the insinuation that he didn’t see Hinata as his own person. He shrugged. “What if we got them clothes-“

“Mortal stuff doesn’t work on them unless dipped,” Tsukishima sighed. _Really, Kageyama? And_ how _long have you spent in the forest already?_

The intern grunted. “So can’t we just get stuff here and dip it or something?”

Technically they could. It was a very valid reason. The only problem was that Tsukishima was completely against asking either weaponmaker to use their diluted fluid because if you asked Asahi, Nishinoya found out. And if Nishinoya found out, Yamaguchi or Hinata would know in seconds. He wasn’t going to sneak around the weaponry either.

“We could,” he said slowly, fingering a baggy, light brown sweatshirt that looked like it would’ve complimented Yamaguchi’s eyes. “You’d have to ask Nishinoya though.”

“Then why don’t we – oh.” Tsukishima simply nodded in reply.

They stopped in the middle of the clothes aisle, looking around at different styles. If only they did have access to the reaping fluid, Tsukishima would’ve had a basket full of clothes already. He knew that Yamaguchi was fascinated by the current world and from what he’s heard about Hinata, the other recruiter even more so. Plus, seeing Yamaguchi in clothes like normal people would probably do things to Tsukishima’s chest.

He stopped when his hand brushed against another baggy sweatshirt. This time it was white but with a huge picture of a cup of fries on the front. It was over the top red and yellow and each fry had various smiling faces. Written on the carton, _god save Tsukishima,_ were the words ‘ **I like it when they’re salty!’**

Why in the _world_ someone would _ever_ create something like this was completely mystifying. Why the hell anyone would even _buy_ it was an even greater mystery.

The only problem was that it just seemed so _Yamaguchi_ , it wasn’t even funny. He remembered bringing a bag of McDonalds with him when he visited the Center, mainly because he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop at home for dinner and decided to grab the most convenient thing. The look of absolute longing on Yamaguchi’s face as he watched Tsukishima eat the food that couldn’t even properly enter the spirit’s mouth had made him feel guilty.

With only a moment’s hesitation, he grabbed the sweatshirt off the shelf.

“I thought you said we couldn’t get clothes,” Kageyama’s voice seemed to appear out of nowhere and Tsukishima wanted to kick something. _Damnit._

“I didn’t say we couldn’t,” he shot back, frowning at the intern. “I said you’d have to ask Nishinoya for the reaping fluid.”

Kageyama looked at the clothes on the hangers with a thoughtful expression. “Well, what if we just do it behind his back? Let Asahi know and make sure he’s distracted or something?”

A plausible plan. How to accomplish it, he wasn’t sure, but they had time to figure it out. In complete honesty, Tsukishima wouldn’t have even thought about getting Yamaguchi a Valentine’s day gift. It just wasn’t his style. But because of Bokuto whining that they _had_ to give their significant others a special something, the workplace reluctantly agreed to go with him shopping.

Tsukishima very much did have a significant other whereas Kageyama would still stutter and flush whenever someone pointed out that Hinata was definitely his. Kuroo had a continuous cat visitor that Tsukishima heard too much about honestly, and Bokuto had Akaashi. They all had goals in mind but when it came to executing them, they weren’t quite working out in any of their favours. Except for maybe Kuroo’s.

“So what, we just ask Asahi to distract him a while? Noya practically lives in the weaponry,” Kageyama said as they stepped out of the clothing aisle and wandered away. Tsukishima felt like his presence was getting really overbearing.

“Yeah. Something like that.”

“Can I get him food?”

Tsukishima shot him a frown. “Do you want to dip food in _reaping fluid_?” Neither of them understood why but they could eat the food in the Spirit world. However, it only worked as that one way street. Hinata’s only source of new foods were the ones that dead spirits brought to Yokohama and everyone knew that he was practically weak for new food.

“It’s worth a try,” Kageyama said defensively. “And not like…hot meals or anything. Bags of chips or candy. So that if it doesn’t work it’s not like I’m dropping a bowl of noodles in there or anything.”

That was also a plausible idea. Could he dip French fries in reaping fluid? It was definitely worth a shot. And if it worked, could he do it with other things? Like deserts? Shortcake? Could he finally let Yamaguchi taste his _favourite food in the –_

“Okay, cool,” Kageyama said, apparently taking Tsukishima’s silence as agreement. “I’m going to the candy aisle,” he said absently as he turned around and walked away.

The writer watched him go with torn feelings. At first he wanted Kageyama to piss off and shop on his own but now he wanted help on what kind of food that he could get Yamaguchi.

_Damnit,_ he thought, moodily stalking towards the closest aisle. _Can I dip French fries in reaping fluid?_

\-------

Kuroo was standing in the middle of the pet aisle, staring blankly at a shelf as he held two different types of toys in both his hands. In his right was a colourful mouse, each body part a splash of the rainbow, and in his left was a plain grey mouse that was connected to a stick by a long string. The point was to figure out which toy the cat would like but the only problem was that it wouldn’t like _either_ of them.

If he gave it a colourful mouse, he knew that he’d be given a deadpan stare because the creature did not strike him as the type to like flashy and colourful things. If he used the plain one with the string to play with it, he knew he’d get irritated hisses because the cat also did not strike him as the type to appreciate when things were just ripped away from it.

It was _hard_. He already had a few cartons of milk in his basket, a small stock to keep since the cat liked to burn through his milk stock quickly. He had debated buying snacks but the last time he tried to offer the small creature a portion of his lunch, it backed away and didn’t touch it. Kuroo figured that it preferred whatever it ate in the wild.

Sighing, he placed both toys back onto the shelf and turned his head. Nearly jumping three feet into the air, he effectively smacked a few toys to the ground when he saw a pouting face practically five inches away from him

“Boku- holy _shit_ , don’t do that?!”

He tried to calm his pulse as he glared at his friend, reaching down to clean up the mess he made. Bokuto crouched down in front of him, the pained look on his face not disappearing. “Kurooooo,” the chief whined and the designer wondered again just how on earth this man thought himself fit to act as a ‘mature company CEO.’ “I don’t know what the flowers meeeeeaann!”

Kuroo stared at him in confusion, standing up. “What the heck are you talking about?”

“The bouquets, Tetsu!” Bokuto exclaimed, jumping up and waving his arms wildly. Kuroo saw that the only thing in his hands was a card. _Hopeless. This man is hopeless._ “I want to buy him a bouquet but I don’t want to get him something that says ‘you suck’ or anything!”

“Bo,” Kuroo said, sighing and rubbing his face. “Stores don’t actively go out of their way to make bouquets that mean ‘you suck,’ okay? Anything you pick probably has some sort of cheesy meaning anyway and it’s not like Akaashi would know-“

“Akaashi would know,” Bokuto suddenly said, his face falling. “He went through that floral phase at school, remember?”

Ah, yes. Kuroo _did_ remember. It was actually kind of cute, Akaashi had small booklets with him that had flowers and all their meanings and every day he’d have a new flower for Bokuto with a special meaning behind it. No wonder Bokuto was trying to match that level of sweetness now.

“Okay, well, did you pick up _anything_ that he said back then? Do you know what daisies mean?”

“…No.”

“Then that’s your problem.” He turned away to attempt perusing the shelves once more only to be stopped by an even louder groan of frustration. “ _Bo_ ,” he said with an irritated sigh.

“I want this to be great,” Bokuto said, his voice dropping to a pathetic tone as he picked up the closest toy and squeezed it. The miserable squeak sounded just like the man. “I want to show him that I can be really romantic too.”

Kuroo watched him poke the toy’s belly, producing tiny wheezing sounds that no cat would ever like, he was sure. Bokuto was always a confident man except when it came to Akaashi. He argued that Akaashi definitely made him more brave but everyone could see that Bokuto was very self-conscious when it came to Akaashi’s actual perception of himself. Bokuto had danced around the other man all throughout their first year at college even though it was more than obvious Akaashi was head over heels for the man in return. Seeing him still so nervous made Kuroo want to call up Akaashi right this instant.

He reached over to put an arm around the pouting man. Bokuto looked up with a question in his eyes. “Hey,” Kuroo said, rubbing his shoulder with a firm hand. “I’m telling you, Akaashi thinks so highly of you that there is not a single thing you could do that he’d take as an insult.”

Bokuto’s eyes crinkled in hope. “Really?”

“Yeah, really,” Kuroo confirmed, nodding his head. “You don’t have to try so hard because he’ll love it regardless because he loves you. Besides, why are you getting so nervous _now_? Isn’t there something else more stress inducing?”

Realization appeared in the chief’s eyes and Kuroo felt slightly guilty for bringing it up. _But it’s necessary,_ he thought, giving Bokuto a pointed look. _He’s got bigger fish to fry._

“But…but that’s not for a while,” Bokuto choked out, his grip on the toy tightening even more. Kuroo reached over to pry it out of his hand because the gasping last breath of the poor thing was starting to sound uncomfortable against his ears.

“Is it actually? You said that a few months ago. How long now?”

Bokuto moved so fast that Kuroo actually had to step back. He whipped out his phone so quickly, clicking on the calendar. In a few weeks, one of the days had a circle around it. Kuroo watched as the blood drained from his friend’s face.

“I’m doing it on _Valentine’s Day_?”

Kuroo was literally stunned at his friend’s forgetfulness. “Bo, you _cannot_ tell me you forgot what day you were going to pro-“

“ _VALENTINE’S DAY?!”_ Bokuto’s loud screech reverberated around the aisle and Kuroo startled. An employee came around the corner with a confused and slightly wary expression.

“Um, can I help either of you with something…?”

Kuroo shook his head, turning Bokuto so that his mortified face was facing away from the employee. “He’s just excited for his new pet,” he said with a smile, staring the employee down as he walked away. “Bokuto, seriously, you didn’t remember?” He asked in shock. Forgetting Valentine’s Day was one thing. Forgetting something as important as _that_ , however, that was inexcusable.

“H-Hey,” Bokuto whined, shoving his phone back into his pocket as he rubbed his face. “Work was stressful. I got distracted.”

“You _work_ with him-“

“ _Kuroo_.” Bokuto’s voice was filled with utter distress and Kuroo had to stop. There was a difference between the emo emotion the other man could dredge up and the legitimate frustration Kuroo just heard. He looked at the man before him, taking in the genuine worry on his face. Without hesitating, he pulled the man into a tight hug right in the middle of the pet aisle.

Bokuto sighed against his shoulder. “I just get so distracted and forget so many different things and, damnnit, remember when I forgot our second year anniversary? Akaashi was-“

“Not mad whatsoever,” Kuroo said firmly. “Akaashi wasn’t mad at all. Remember?” There was silence from the other man so Kuroo went on. “He _knows_ you, Bo. He knows that you sometimes forget and that sometimes you go crazy but he doesn’t care.”

The man pulled away, looking at his friend with a slight frown. “I know,” he said with a long sigh. “But that doesn’t take away the fact that I nearly forgot that… _fuck_ ,” he broke off, shaking his head. “ _God_ , I’m such an idiot.”

“An idiot that he loves and has dealt with for so long that it doesn’t even matter anymore,” Kuroo supplied with a raised brow.

Scrunching his nose up, Bokuto ran his fingers through his hair, mussing it up even more. Kuroo watched the nervous tic. What he said was true, Akaashi loved Bokuto more than Bokuto could give him credit for. The insecurity was just leftover emotions that Kuroo was determined to expel completely one day.

“Okay. This needs to be good then...better than any other year before. What flowers should I get?”

Kuroo sighed. “Just…just get daisies.”

\---------

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Kageyama muttered as they stole through Karasuno, heading for the weaponry.

“It was _your_ idea.”

“That didn’t mean we had to execute it!” The intern hissed, clamping his mouth shut when Tsukishima shot him a look.

After that exhilarating group shopping trip, the two had taken the liberty of heading over to the Center in order to get things dipped _immediately_. Knowing their significant others and a certain someone they were associated with, it would be a pain if they didn’t get this out of the way right now.

With Kageyama in particular, he knew that Hinata had a terrible tendency of popping up at the most inopportune times. If there was _any_ chance that he found out what Kageyama got him for Valentine’s day too early, then he was done for. Unlike Tsukishima who had gotten a small amount of ‘memorable things’ for Yamaguchi, Kageyama had grabbed whatever caught his attention.

So, in his hands as they sneaked through the Center, was a bag filled to the bring with snack foods and candies. While someone might’ve called it insensitive of a gift and purely unoriginal, he knew that Hinata would appreciate it. Whether or not their plan would go through, however, neither of them knew.

At least they were able to keep the three spirits occupied, having let Asahi know their intentions as soon as possible. They didn’t go into much detail since half-way through explaining what Valentine’s day was, Tsukishima and Kageyama started turning into spluttering, red messes, but Asahi got the idea and promised to keep them out of the way. The four of them including Yachi thus had taken the day to go out to Yokohama under Asahi’s orders.

“Do you know where the stuff is?” Kageyama asked Tsukishima as they peeked around the corner. Just because not everyone was as big of a blabbermouth as Nishinoya was didn’t mean that they could trust anyone else. Word of tongue said that Narita was actually quite the gossiper.

Tsukishima gave a one-shouldered shrug and the intern glared at him. “That’s not an answer!” He said, only to receive a scowl in return. The writer _annoyed_ him. In fact, _all_ writers annoyed him. Tsukishima in specific.

“He said it’s in its own closet,” Tsukishima said, gesturing once. They resumed walking, stepping into the weaponry and closing the door. People knew that Asahi and Nishinoya were out but if anyone decided to just step in… “In the back over there.”

Kageyama looked over to where the other man was pointing, a small door tucked away behind tables full of weapons. He didn’t spend much time in the weaponry, opting to allow Hinata to do whatever he needed to do by himself. He felt uncomfortable around so many lethal weapons. How Tsukishima was even able to wield his _wakizashis_ without fear was surprising.

They pushed open the door, revealing a huge large tub filled with a glowing blue liquid. It looked very much like the spirits did before either of them got their mortality shrouds. However, both of them knew not to touch this because unlike the diluted versions, this tub was full of the real thing.

“This is…” Kageyama said nervously.

“It’s over here,” Tsukishima pointed at a smaller tub off to the side. It was still filled with reaping fluid but it lacked the original’s luster. This was the diluted version.

Kageyama looked over it, seeing the still liquid seem to beckon him over, urging him to dip his whole hand in. Restraining the urge, he lifted up the bag he held, dragging his eyes away from the addictive sight. “Should I try it now?”

Tsukishima nodded, setting aside his own bag. If this failed, they didn’t really know what to do. They were banking their Valentines’ Day success on the idea that the reaping fluid would work on mortal things. Kageyama grabbed the first thing in the bag, a small pack of gummies, and lifted it up. “Asahi said not to keep it in for so long. Just for a few seconds.”

“How do we take it out?”

They looked around before Tsukishima walked over to grab something. It looked like a metal ladle but with many holes littering the bottom. “Probably this.”

Nodding, Kageyama turned back to the fluid and tossed the pack in, crossing his fingers mentally. It submerged for a moment before floating to the top, a faint sizzling sound filling the air.

“What the-“

“Fuck, take it out-“

“Shit-“

There was a scramble as Tsukishima practically shoved the ladle into the fluid, reaching for the pack of gummies and yanking it out. It was flung to the ground and the two stared as the paper seemed to inflate slightly then deflate back to normal, if not looking just a little wet.

Perhaps it was kind of a dramatic response to a simple effect such as sizzling but who knew what could’ve happened? He doubted that anyone would’ve forgiven them if they somehow blew up the weaponry.

“Should I touch it?” He asked into the air, hearing Tsukishima ‘tch’ behind him.

“It’s diluted. We’re already wearing diluted stuff. Try it?”

Shrugging, Kageyama bent down and picked up the pack, feeling its existence in his palm. “Feels normal.”

“Looks normal.”

Kageyama stared at the pack. With a small frown, he opened it up and picked up the first gummy, popping it into his mouth. Tsukishima stared at him. “Tastes like shit.”

Tsukishima sighed and looked at the tub. “Maybe we shouldn’t keep it in for too long at all.”

Standing up, Kageyama tossed the discarded gummies onto the table. They really did taste terrible. It was as if all of the sugar had been sucked out and the consistency of the gummy itself felt like a stale marshmallow. As much as Hinata liked trying new food, he doubted that he’d appreciate even this.

“Kageyama,” Tsukishima suddenly asked and the intern looked up at him. The other man was peering into the fluid with a distasteful expression. “How many snacks are you willing to sacrifice for the sake of science?”

\---------

**THE _DAY_**

“Here,” Kageyama said suddenly, shoving a single, badly wrapped object into Hinata’s hands. The mortal looked so irritated that Hinata thought that whatever was in his hands wasn’t a gift at all and more like bad news. He looked down at it, testing its weight. It felt decently light.

“Um. Thanks?” He said, peering up at his close friend. Kageyama was looking anywhere but him with a horridly red flush staining his cheeks. It still didn’t take away from the fact that he looked grumpy as all hell. But Hinata supposed that’s what he liked about him. “What is it?”

“A present, dumbass. You’re supposed to open it.”

Hinata looked down at the ‘present’ in his hands. It was wrapped in leftover wrapping paper that you could easily get at Yokohama and haphazardly tied together with a thin piece of rope. Squeezing it lightly, he felt that it was a bag like object. “What’s going to happen if I open it?”

“I-It’s not a bomb!” Kageyama protested, offended. “Nothing bad is supposed to happen if you give people gifts, jeez. What gifts have _you_ been getting?”

“None that are as suspicious as yours,” Hinata shot back quickly, glaring at the mortal. “You can’t just hand me things like this acting all nice and not expect me to question it!”

Kageyama looked utterly wounded. “What, I _can’t_ give you gifts? What if I wanted to be nice for just a few minutes, idiot?!”

“That’s really sketchy! You’re never nice!”

“That is a _lie_ and you know it-“

“Kageyama, what is this? Did you wrap something gross?”

“No! It’s not _gross_ -“

“Did you steal it-“

“It’s a _Valentine’s Day gift_.”

Silence fell between them for a moment and Hinata stared at the gift in his hands. Kageyama was covering his face with one hand but the recruiter could see the telltale violent red on his face. Slowly, even the spirit felt a flush crawl onto his cheeks.

He knew what Valentine’s Day was even though he had never really celebrated it. He knew it was a cute sort of new holiday where people gave gifts and tokens of affection to people that they admired or even _liked_. To see this badly wrapped gift in his hands and knowing that _Kageyama_ of all people had given it to him, it was making his stomach flip in odd ways.

“Oh,” he said, blinking widely. Kageyama still had revealed his face and Hinata nervously plucked at the string. “Can I…Can I open it?”

A sigh. “ _Duh_ ,” the mortal said, looking at him. He looked a bit nervous.

“Alright,” Hinata said before unwrapping the gift. Brightly coloured packaging was slowly revealed with odd pictures of what looked like animated flat discs with faces. There were words but he was too busy turning the bag over in his hands. “What is it?”

“Food.”

“Food?” He automatically looked up. “This is food? What kind of food?”

Finally, Kageyama looked to be calmed down. He pointed at the bag in Hinata’s hands. “Food from current day Japan.”

“ _What-_ “

“I know that you’ve been dying to taste some of our things so I figured I’d get you some. Those are called chips. They’re like…slices of potatoes cooked in oil.”

Hinata was too busy gawking at the bag in his hands to even properly register Kageyama’s words. This was _current day food_. This was the stuff he was _dying_ to try out but new could never happen. Dishes were different, those had recipes that spirits could bring back once dead. But this…this _snack_ food… this food that he could just walk to a store and buy if he were still a mortal… This was what he wanted.

“Thank you,” he said, breathlessly. He could feel tears forcing their way into the open.

Kageyama began to splutter. “W-What the- Fuck, don’t cry! Dumbass, it’s just a bag of chips- oof!”

Hinata had barreled himself straight into Kageyama’s chest, squeezing his torso as tight as he could. It didn’t escape his notice how the mortal’s arms immediately slid around his own body as well. “ _Thank you_ ,” he stressed. “It means a lot, seriously.” He spoke into his chest, biting the inside of his cheek to make sure he didn’t actually start crying.

He heard a sigh from above him and a hand rested on top of his head, squeezing slightly. “You know, I actually had a bag full of treats for you.”

“What happened to them all?” Hinata asked, raising his head to look at Kageyama in question. The mortal glanced down at him before turning his gaze away, eyes narrowing.

“They were sacrificed in the name of science. That was the only one that worked.” He had trailed off to a mutter but Hinata didn’t care. It still meant the world to him that Kageyama would even go and do something like this for him.

“Well,” he said with a shrug. “Just get me more next time.”

Kageyama squinted at him. “You’re needy.”

“And you’re great.”

That effectively shut the mortal up. The flush returned to his cheeks and Hinata settled on the fact that yes, he quite liked that colour.

“I’m not,” Kageyama argued but his words had no conviction.

“Well _I_ think so.”

“Who cares what you think?”

“Yooooou do~”

Hinata supposed he deserved the light smack to his head.

\--------

“Put this on.”

Yamaguchi looked over from his spot on the floor where he was sprawled, eagle spread. Tsukishima was sitting on his bed, the book he was reading set off to the side. He had his typical stoic expression on his face but Yamaguchi knew him enough to pick out the nervousness in his tone. It was faint but it was definitely there.

“What?” He asked, turning over sideways to curl up on his side, peering at the other man who was staring at him from the bed. “Put what on?” A package flew through the air and Yamaguchi’s arm shot out in the air to catch it. He squished it and felt the cloth move underneath his fingers. He stared at Tsukishima in question. “What is it?”

Tsukishima turned his head away and glowered at the wall slightly and Yamaguchi suddenly realized that he wasn’t just nervous, he was _embarrassed_. That was always a fun time. He sat up immediately, staring down the mortal on the bed. “Tsukki? What’s this for?” Gifts were a cross between common and uncommon. It wasn’t rare for Tsukishima to get him a little something every once in a while when they went to Yokohama but he usually wasn’t this flushed.

“Valentine’s Day,” Tsukishima answered, reaching up to scratch behind his ear. The words made Yamaguchi perk up even more. He scrambled towards the bed and leaped on, effectively making Tsukishima grunt and scoot over.

“Valentine’s Day! Isn’t that the love holiday?” He asked excitedly, completely missing the flash of red on the mortal’s face. “I died just before it became a thing,” Yamaguchi said with a sigh. “But this is for Valentine’s Day? Tsukki, you’re so sweet!”

The spirit looked at the package in his hands, debating on what the proper protocol was for opening presents. Could he just rip it open? He certainly wanted to. But he wanted to seem _calm_ in front of Tsukishima and accept his gift like a normal human being-

“What are you waiting for?” Tsukishima asked. “Open it.”

Well.

Eagerly tearing the wrapping off, his eyes widened in both confusion and shock at the soft cloth under his fingers. This was… “What is this?” He asked, feeling stupid but wanting clarification. _What am I touching?_

“A sweatshirt, smart one.” Tsukishima nudged his shoulder with Yamaguchi’s, prompting the spirit to slowly unfold it. It was soft, softer than anything the spirit had ever worn, and was _obviously_ not something you could find in Yokohama. _A ‘sweatshirt?’_ Holding it up in front of him, he gasped when the huge, flashy image of those damn _French fries_ came into view. And on the box was the most ridiculous statement he had ever read.

It was completely dorky.

It was so foreign.

It was _amazing_.

“Tsukki…how did you…?” He couldn’t even finish his statement, turning to the mortal who was badly concealing an expression of anticipation. “Is this from the mortal world?” He received a nod in reply. “How did you? What?” Yamaguchi felt breathless.

Tsukishima pressed his lips into a thin line but the spirit could see the hidden smile. “Magic. Don’t question it. Put it on.”

Yamaguchi looked down at the soft article of clothing in his hands. Tsukishima had gone to lengths in order to get something like this for him, something from the _mortal_ world. And not only that, but it had those infuriating little salty fries that looked like the most delicious things in the world. If he couldn’t try them, at least he could wear them.

The appreciation and gratitude that bubbled in his chest towards this small act of kindness was so overwhelming that Tsukishima actually reached over to grip his chin, tilting his head up. Yamaguchi stared into reassuring eyes. “Don’t cry.”

“I-I wasn’t going to!”

“Liar.” Tsukishima moved in to press his lips against Yamaguchi’s, the kiss sweet and chaste. It was moments like these that made Yamaguchi wonder why Tsukishima came off as so cold when he was the warmest thing on the planet. He deepened the kiss with little effort, feeling Tsukishima’s hands slide over to cup his face.

It grew heated when Yamaguchi surged forward, practically falling into Tsukishima’s lap as the mortal hauled him over, pulling him close. No matter how many times they did this, Yamaguchi still got completely lightheaded at just the idea of having Tsukishima so close to him, completely around him. When Tsukishima did that thing where he nipped down to his throat, Yamaguchi was usually pretty much gone.

The sweatshirt was still in his hand, nearly forgotten, when Yamaguchi spoke against Tsukishima’s lips. “Put it on me,” he murmured, pressing forward. He could feel Tsukishima’s hands immediately slide underneath his kimono’s folds, scorching him when they touched his body. Tsukishima worked quickly, undressing him with the skill of an experienced man. When the clothes slid off Yamaguchi’s shoulders, baring his chest to the cool air, the mortal pushed him back against the bed, starting the trek down towards his chest.

“Tsukki,” Yamaguchi whined quietly, quivering at the attention. He tried pushing the sweatshirt into Tsukishima’s hands. “Put it on me.”

A sudden bite on his shoulder made him squeak in surprise and his eyes fluttered open, looking up at amused ones. “Later,” Tsukishima said, his hands tightening briefly around his waist. “There’s other Valentine’s Day traditions I want to show you aside from giving gifts.”

Yamaguchi looked at him excitedly, almost missing the feral look that flickered in Tsukishima’s eyes. “Really? What are – oh! _Oh~!_ ”

\--------

For the many years that Akaashi and Bokuto had been dating, they had accumulated a large variety of ‘customs and traditions’ that happened during their relationship. A lot of them were courtesy of Bokuto.

Akaashi, on the other hand, usually went with the flow. Dating Bokuto was like being chained to a comet. It was only a one-track way forward at the speed of light. Honestly, Akaashi liked their relationship and the hectic energy that Bokuto usually provided. Because of his calm nature, the editor considered himself as the equal balance on the other side of the scale. They worked perfectly together.

Except on holidays. Holidays were a bit of a disaster.

At least, in Akaashi’s point of view. For some reason, ever since they began dating, the other man had taken it upon himself to make every single holiday on the calendar as rambunctious as possible, no negotiation allowed. Christmas, New Years, Birthdays and even things like Thanksgiving, an American Holiday, were all celebrated by them to an outrageous extent. Akaashi didn’t hate celebrating the holidays, he just hated the fact that Bokuto would always put himself through the wringer just to perfect a holiday celebration when all Akaashi would like to do is sit around in pajamas, watch movies and make out.

And now it was Valentine’s Day, a holiday that usually came with a terrifying result. If Akaashi had to recount the past Valentine’s Days they celebrated, he would probably need a moment to recover afterwards. There was one time where Bokuto had tried to cologne the entire house with ‘seductive rose aroma’ but accidentally dumped the _entire bottle_ into their ventilation system. The house reeked like flowers for weeks. That was probably the time Akaashi had sworn himself off his flower hobby for life.

Another was when Bokuto was trying to go for seductive on himself and Akaashi came home to see his lover tied up – quite poorly – on the couch with tears on his eyes. The attempt at self-bondage was something that Akaashi enjoyed the idea of but shoved to the back of his mind seeing as it took more than an hour just to detangle Bokuto from the mess he put himself in.

Then there was the time where Bokuto went and got tickets for a god damn _cruise resort_ completely out of the blue only to realize that he had double-booked them both and their rigid work schedules were unforgiving. Akaashi had to deal with an emo-Bokuto for about a month after they gave the tickets away.

And don’t get him started on the day their house turned into glitter wonderland.

Basically, Akaashi loved the idea of Valentine’s Day but his experience with its execution was not so great. Especially today, when Bokuto had been uncomfortably missing the entire time. It was too _silent_ and that was enough to set Akaashi on edge.

Arriving home from errands, (Bokuto _always_ closed the publishing company on any and every holiday) he was startled when he stepped into a quiet house. There was no explosion of rose petals or the smell of something burning from the kitchen. There was no army of massive stuffed animals filling the hallway nor was there an abundance of anything pink, red or white. The house looked relatively normal.

“Koutarou?” He called out nervously, wondering why his nerves were screaming at him. He was just so used to having such a wild Valentine’s Day that the silence was killing him. “I’m home.” He walked in, throwing his coat over the couch. Pausing when he noticed something on the coffee table, he raised his brows as he walked over.

It was a small bouquet of flowers, nothing huge, and were a lovely combination of daisies and other colourful flowers. A single red rose was tucked in the middle, standing out yet complimenting the bouquet all the same. Akaashi couldn’t help but smile fondly. He picked up the envelope, reading his badly-scrawled name on the front. Sliding out the card, he couldn’t stop from a startled laugh falling from his lips.

On the cover was a huge, cartoon owl with googly eyes that rattled when he shook the card. It was a mashup of such bold colours that Akaashi could only assume that Bokuto had found it in the children’s section. Yet, it fit the other man’s personality to a T. The words on the card were what made his smile only grow larger. **‘Whooo will be your Valentine? OWL be your Valentine!’** Inside, as expected, was nothing, seeing as Bokuto stayed far away from writing if he had to.

A rustling from behind him made him turn around and he quirked a brow when he saw Bokuto’s uncharacteristically shy face peeking from around the living room’s doorway. The man was staring Akaashi down with wide eyes that screamed nervousness.

“Hey,” Akaashi said with a smile, waving the card up. “Thank you for this.”

“You’re welcome,” came the quiet response.

Raising a brow, he set the card down before walking over, stepping into the hallway to face his sheepish lover. “Koutarou? What’s up? Is everything alright?”

Bokuto seemed almost startled at the question, nodding his head vehemently. “Oh! Yeah, everything’s totally good. I’m glad you liked the card and the flowers. Or at least, I hope you liked the flowers? I don’t know what they all mean so-“

“I love them,” Akaashi said firmly, establishing that fact before Bokuto went on another rant. “I love both. Thank you so much.” There was a small thought in his mind that maybe this was it for this year, that Bokuto had finally decided to relax and just take a holiday off to have a _real_ holiday and that the card and flowers the farthest extent of his extravagance. “Are you okay?”

The man seemed to tense up even more and suddenly Akaashi was alert. He reached forward, sliding his arms around Bokuto’s larger form, pulling him into an embrace. “Hey. Koutarou. Talk to me.”

Suddenly, Bokuto wrapped his arms around Akaashi’s body and squeezed him tightly, burying his face into his hair. Smiling faintly, the editor gently patted his back. He had met many of Bokuto’s moods over the years, he knew how to deal with each one of them delicately. “I love you, Keiji.”

Warmth flooded Akaashi’s chest. Though it had been awhile since Bokuto’s dramatic first confession, hearing it made him smile nonetheless. “I love you too,” he responded. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

The arms around him tightened even more. “You make me so happy. I don’t know what I could do without you in my life.”

“Is that so? I can say the same about yo-“

“You’re fantastic,” Bokuto suddenly said, leaning back and gripping Akaashi’s shoulders tightly, looking down at him with a flushed expression. The shorter man looked at him in surprise. “You’re more than I could have ever asked for and I don’t know how you put up with me.”

“Kou-“

“I try and make holidays as special as possible because you deserve the best and I fuck up a lot and I’m just really glad that you understand.” Bokuto looked so nervous during his spiel that Akaashi felt anxiety rise in his own chest. Sure, Bokuto was a very openly affectionate person, never forgetting to let Akaashi know just how much he was loved, but he was never _this_ nervous about it.

He tried once again to say the other’s name but was cut off when Bokuto shook his head. “You understand me as a person and stick by my side while I go through everything in my life. You give me support and I only wish that I can give you something as equally as good in return.”

Now _that_ was a useless statement. Bokuto gave him everything he could have asked for. But Akaashi didn’t want to interrupt again.

“So…” Bokuto bit his lip before letting Akaashi go and stepping back. “The only thing I can offer is happiness and a place at my side until we grow old.”

When he dropped to a knee, Akaashi’s heart stopped.

“I mean, you’re probably going to have to take care of me when I get old and can’t walk or talk and I promise I’ll try and make it as easy as possible on you because I know that _you’ll_ be old and wrinkly too, which is fine, but-“

“ _Koutarou_ ,” Akaashi said forcefully, his voice hoarse. He was frozen solid and couldn’t do much but say the other man’s name in order to get him back on track.

Bokuto flailed momentarily, nodding. “Right, um,” he scrambled for something out of his pocket and Akaashi couldn’t help but let out a weak laugh as he had trouble pulling the small box out. He cleared this throat but his voice still sounded wavering. “Keiji…” The box opened to reveal a delicate, silver band. It had an elegant diamond pattern engraved on it, swirling around the entire surface of the ring. “Will you marr – ah, no, that’s not right. You deserve to hear more than that.” Bokuto gave him a warm smile that made Akaashi’s knees nearly buckle right then and there. “Will you do the honours of being someone I could call my lifelong partner, my world and my everything? Not that you aren’t already but – “

“ _Yes_ ,” Akaashi breathed, throwing himself to the ground, dropping right on top of Bokuto and squeezing the life out of him. “ _Yes_ , yes I will marry you.”

A breathless laugh left Bokuto as his arms tightened around the smaller man in return. “Woah, seriously? I mean, shit, _thank you_ -“ He was silenced immediately by a hard kiss from Akaashi, dragging out all the love that he could in the single action. Peppered with kisses from an overzealous-Akaashi, Bokuto looked absolutely winded at their change in roles. It wasn’t until the editor pulled away with a silly grin on his face and ask for the ring did the chief finally blink and come back to reality.

Bokuto’s fingers shook as he slid the ring on but Akaashi loved it all the same, raising his hand in order to gaze at its brilliance. “It’s perfect.”

“You’re perfect.” Bokuto was looking at him with all seriousness and Akaashi felt his heart soar with affection for this man. When he was folded into another embrace, he sunk into it willingly.

It was a quiet Tuesday night. Akaashi was in casual clothes and was tired after errands. There was no sign that said that this day would’ve been a spectacular one except for Bokuto’s holiday tendencies.

Yet despite all that, this Valentine’s Day held the biggest and most memorable surprise of them all.

\---------

Kuroo sighed quietly, stretched out on the back step of his apartment. He was dressed in nothing but a thin sweater and jeans yet he didn’t feel too cold. He owed it to the little furball that was curled up comfortably in his lap, purring comfortingly.

So what if Valentine’s Day shopping with the guys had him looking around for cat toys? He had no one significant. He had no one that much of importance. He wasn’t a guy like that. For some reason, the vibe he gave off to people made them assume that he was the type to date and drop, which he did, but to an extent. And mostly in college. Now, he was just living life as it went.

The only loyal one was this cat who he had yet to give a name. He had tried, don’t get him wrong, but each time he shot an idea to the cat, it hissed until he dropped the subject. So for now, it was just ‘cat.’

Cat was his reprieve after work or a long day. It had stumbled on his yard one fateful day years ago and over time, it had come back regularly. Kuroo provided it with milk and though it didn’t eat anything he provided, it still stuck around.

He had settled on the plain grey mouse from the store, cutting it off from its attached string once he came home. After attempting to gift it to Cat, it merely stared at it before proceeding to rip its head off with scary precision and fierceness. Kuroo had been completely shocked but Cat made it up by curling into his lap and staying there for the past hour.

Sliding his fingers through the coloured fur, he gazed down at the dozing animal. He had never tried to keep it for himself or domesticize it. Cat was a free spirit, coming and going at its own will into his yard. Kuroo figured that if he ever tried to bring Cat in, he’d never come back again. For some reason, it felt like a breach of trust to force Cat out of his domain in the wild.

As if it heard his thoughts, Cat uncurled from his lap, stretching languidly as Kuroo watched. It was a beautiful animal, he had to admit. When it peered up at him, Kuroo could read it in his eyes. “Time to go?” He asked, knowing he’d receive no answer.

Cat leapt from his lap, padding around on the ground a bit before turning up towards Kuroo. He stuck his hand out, feeling the rough tongue swipe up against his fingers. “Run safe, lil’ man.”

The cat mewed quietly before swishing its tail and turning around. Kuroo watched it turn the corner before sighing once again.

Seriously, he had just spent his third consecutive Valentine’s Day with a _cat_. That was even worse than being the ‘crazy cat lady.’ He _did not_ want to be the crazy cat man.

“I need to get out more,” he grumbled, picking himself up and brushing his pants off. He grabbed the pan of empty milk and the beheaded mouse before stepping back into his apartment, kicking the door shut.

From far across his back lawn on the roof of another building, Cat watched him go back inside stoically.

“Valentine’s Day with Kuroo again?” A voice nearly made Kenma topple over. Inouka in bird form was grinning at him from his spot right next to the cat, where he landed. “This is, what, the third time?”

That cat shot him a glare. “So? He gives me milk.”

“Aaaaand?”

“And toys.”

“Aaaaaaaaaaand?”

“Inouka, I swear if you don’t shut up…”

The little bird chirped in laughter. “What? You’ll what? Kenma likes a mortal! Kenma likes a mooooortal~ You’re lucky Yamaguchi already established that. I told you it’s not _that_ weird- Ack!”

The yowl that echoed through the neighbourhood as the cat leaped for the bird reached Kuroo’s open window and he smiled absently as he washed the milk pan. So what if it was a cat? Valentine’s Day was meant to be spent with the ones you love after all.

**HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? Was it worth it?  
> If no, then chapter 14 will be coming soon, never fear!  
> If yes, then good. It's always nice to set aside the pain and just read straight fluff every once in a while. 
> 
> **Bokuaka:** I'm sorry. No they are not engaged in real life (fic life, I mean). I mean, of course they will eventually, but it will not happen in this fic's time span. 
> 
> 'Till next chapter!  
> Juni


	14. What's It Going To Be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god, 5 more chapters. Are you mentally prepared? I'm not. Not at all. 
> 
> Here's chapter 14! I hope it satiates you all~ I think a little bit of backstory of a certain someone is finally due :)

 

Kageyama groaned quietly as he lifted his head up, rubbing the sleep away from his eyes. Though the rest was good, his body felt completely sore. Each joint ached every time he moved and there were parts of his body with bruises that he didn’t even think could have them. He was sure his skin was mottled black and blue but he wasn’t able to tell properly since the light in the cave was close to non-existent.

However, he didn’t look half as bad as Hinata did.

The poor spirit had been abused to such an unholy degree that Kageyama was sure he was going to be mentally traumatized for the rest of his life, granted he was able to keep it. See, the Wraith didn’t pull punches. When he ripped into Hinata, he made sure that Kageyama was on the front lines watching every single violent detail.

Hinata had been chosen as the Wraith’s target punching bag. Because Kageyama was the only mortal under the Wraith’s ‘care,’ he was treated with delicacy…if delicacy meant not torturing him _as much_ as he did Hinata. It was horrible, honestly, the way Hinata had gone all self-sacrificial, practically forcing the Wraith to choose himself over Kageyama. As much as the action was wholeheartedly appreciated, it did not take away from the fact that the mortal was watching Hinata get destroyed to what he was now – a flickering spirit.

While Kageyama had _zero_ knowledge on what was good and bad in regards to spirits and their… ‘lives,’ he assumed that they weren’t supposed to _flicker_. In fact, it was starting to scare him, watching Hinata blink in and out of existence for a millisecond each time. The recruiter had assured him that damned spirits couldn’t get sent to the afterlife unless turned into a spectre, whatever that was, and killed. The Wraith’s torment hadn’t turned him into a spectre but it was still leaving a toll on the spirit. Hinata had no physical sign that he had been hurt far worse than Kageyama but his extreme fatigue and his _damn flickering_ was enough to set the mortal on edge.

What hurt _Kageyama_ the most was that no matter how much Hinata was beaten, he took it all without ever opening his mouth to yell or scream. The agony was evident in his eyes as well the way Kageyama shouted at the Wraith to stop but Hinata refused to ever make a noise. Only after the Wraith had left would he slump over and cry quietly, trying to assure Kageyama that he was okay, that _dumbass_.

They barely knew each other yet here this idiot of a spirit was, trying to save Kageyama’s pathetic life.

Now they were recuperating, Kageyama leaning against the side of the cage’s bars while Hinata lay on his side close to him but not touching. Hinata looked as fine as ever but his breathing was laboured, his eyes kept fluttering shut and he was flickering every few minutes. The only way he stayed awake was when Kageyama spoke to him, which he tried to do a lot. ‘Spirits can’t sleep,’ Hinata had told him once and Kageyama took it to heart. Sleep was unnecessary which meant that _blacking out_ was probably ill-advised. Whenever Kageyama was awake, he tried his best to keep Hinata talking as much as possible.

_He’s my only way out,_ Kageyama thought gravely as he watched Hinata take in a deep shuddering breath before relaxing, rubbing his eyes with stiff movements. _But I don’t want him to disappear just because of me._

“Tell me about your past,” he said, turning his head to look at the spirit. Hinata looked far from the original chipper spirit Kageyama had met him as. It hadn’t been too long that they were held captive but the Wraith had been brutal, tearing into Hinata with everything he had. Naturally, it would be hard to keep up such an enthusiastic front.

Yet Hinata still smiled faintly, a spark of that original playfulness lighting in his eyes. “What about my past?”

“All of it.”

“That’s a lot of past, Kageyama.” The recruiter pushed himself closer to the bars, staring down Kageyama with those piercing eyes. Kageyama had looked into them often enough to see the faded colours of orange behind the blue wisps that made up Hinata’s physical appearance.

The mortal had to drag his eyes away – Hinata could be a bit intense unintentionally. “We have a lot of time.” That, at least, was what the two of them assumed. At this point, Hinata was positive that Daichi noticed he was missing. However, finding them would be the part that took the longest. If anything, they just had to hold out for a few days.

But a few days of Hinata continuously getting tortured right before Kageyama’s eyes? He couldn’t even _do_ anything because there was no way to touch Hinata or break through the spirit cage. He was helpless in trying to save him because he didn’t know what to _do_. Kageyama had no clue how the spirit world worked and the Wraith could beat his ass in seconds. So all he could do was try and rest and talk to Hinata.

The recruiter shifted. “Where should I start?”

“Where else? The beginning, dumbass.”

A small cough hid a faint laugh. “That was a _really_ long time ago. You think I can remember things more than two-thousand years back, Bakageyama?”

Kageyama turned to look at him again, a serious look in his face. Hinata held up a front, he had learned quickly. A front with a lot of things. His enthusiasm was genuine, he knew that much, but there were a lot of secrets that the recruiter held as well.

“Alright, fine. Stop looking at me like you’re angry-“

“I’m not angry-“

“I was born at the end of the _Kofun_ period of Japan-“

Kageyama visibly choked, jerking upright and swirling around to grip the bars, staring at Hinata with wide eyes. The spirit had to shy away in case they accidentally touched. “ _Kofun_? Holy shit, that was…” Hinata raised a single brow at him. “That was a _long_ time ago.”

They stared at each other before Hinata snorted loudly, rolling his eyes extravagantly. “I already told you I was two thousand, five hundred and fifty-two years old. I was born in 536 which was just when _Kofun_ ended.”

“Okay, _fuck_ , but I didn’t bother to do the math or anything!” Kageyama was still completely winded, pressing his forehead against the bars as he tried to register the fact that this little spirit was the _oldest_ thing he had ever encountered in his life. “Jesus Christ…you were born twelve periods ago. That was _so long ago_.”

“Kageyama, thank you, but I’m fully aware how old I am.”

Hearing Hinata’s exasperated tone, Kageyama nodded and pulled away, slumping back against the bars again. “Sorry. Go on.”

“I’m from the _Monobe_ clan, one of the clans that took over the Emporer’s court at the beginning of the _Asuka_ period. The other clan was the _Soga_ and…” Hinata huffed quietly. “We were better.”

Kageyama couldn’t help but smile in amusement at the spirit’s petulant statement. It was ridiculously mind-fucking him to hear about these historical and ancient clans spoken like they were still active but it fascinated him. “Were you guys really?”

Hinata nodded vehemently. “We had military power. They wanted to control the government.” It sounded fitting that the hyperactive, gung-ho spirit focused so much on action.

“Didn’t you guys lose against them in 587?

Apparently, that struck the spirit in ways the Wraith couldn’t. Kageyama watched as Hinata’s expression fell into a deep, glowering pout. “I was long dead when that happened but when the spirits who died after that war told me, I was angry. Stupid _Soga_ clan, always trying to throw their minister this way and that. Pfft. Puppets,” Hinata muttered.

Kageyama began rolling his eyes before stopping himself. He had done that enough in lectures after hearing about historical scuffles. But now, he was talking to a person who had practically lived and breathed it. Suddenly, dismissing history didn’t sound like such a good idea.

“So, where were you born?” Kageyama asked, trying to steer Hinata away from possibly going on a rant. He took the history classes, sure, but he didn’t really retain any of the information. The clan names were only barely brushing his memory.

“In the palace,” Hinata sighed, tilting his head to look up at the dank cave wall.

The mortal looked at him in surprise. “The palace?”

Hinata nodded. “Yeah. I was son of the current leader of the _Monobe_ -“

“Hinata, what the actual _fuck_?” The spirit looked a bit miffed at being interrupted for the umpteenth time. “You were the son of the general? You were born in the empirical _palace_? You were _practically royalty_?”

Kageyama nearly jerked away when Hinata’s face suddenly appeared right in front of his own, looking irritated. “What? So what? Does that change things, then? Does that change how you see me?”

The mortal spluttered. “I mean, well, _yeah_ -“

“Just because I was practically a prince? Because I lived ‘lavishly?’ You think you should treat me differently now just because I’ve lived long enough to have been sent to more battles than you could probably name?” Kageyama couldn’t answer him, his mind reeling. Hinata threw himself back to the ground, huffing. “I’m glad I died.”

“What? Why?”

“I didn’t like it,” Hinata said simply, shrugging. “People didn’t think I could do anything even though my father was a strong, important man.”

Kageyama frowned. “That’s stupid. You’re the general’s son. They _should_ have believed in you so why didn’t they?”

“Because I’m _short_.” The statement was said bluntly.

Utterly confused, Kageyama stared at him. “So what? Just because you’re short doesn’t mean you’re not capable.”

 Hinata gave him a look that obviously said ‘You’re an idiot.’ Kageyama felt like arguing but he pressed his mouth into a thin line to stop himself. “You’re an idiot,” Hinata said.

“ _Hey-_ “

“You can say that now because you live in this day and age where a person’s capability is measured by who they are, what they strive for and how they attain it. Back then, if you were large, you were strong. If you were small, you were weak. My sister became a princess so she had no worries but I was my father’s only son…and a failure at that.”

Kageyama bit his lip. “But…you’re fast,” he tried to reason.

Hinata gave him a one-shouldered shrug. “I had to compensate somehow,” he said bitterly. “I was required to be on the battlefield as more of _Monobe’s_ representation and since I couldn’t hit a man with one punch or tackle them, I worked on being fast.” He shot Kageyama a grin that quickly faded. “Large men in heavy armour can’t dodge past a fast attacker.”

That made sense. “So then…how did you die?” Kageyama wasn’t sure if that was a sensitive topic or not but Hinata simply laughed.

“I went down in a very dishonourable way,” he said, a glimmer of something in his eyes that Kageyama couldn’t properly place. He was curious, though. “I was supposedly ‘betrayed by my own friends.’ I think that’s why I felt pretty lost the first few centuries being a spirit.”

The story itself felt interesting and Kageyama was dying to know. Hinata seemed to have gotten the idea, however, because he smiled and shifted so that he was facing Kageyama sideways. “I had two best friends when I was younger. Izumin and Koji. They were commoners though…” Kageyama blinked when the spirit easily used the word ‘commoners.’ Hinata truly was a living, breathing piece of history sitting right in front of him.

“How did you all meet?”

“When I was running away from guards. I ran into Koji and told him I was a bandit. Then we ran into Izumin, who Koji already knew, and that’s how I met them both! We were kids when we first met.”         

“Wait, wait,” Kageyama held up a hand. “Why were you running from guards?”

Hinata rolled his eyes as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world. “Who _didn’t_ run from guards at least once in their lifetime?”

Kageyama nodded dumbly because _Yeah, of course I did. Duh._

“Anyway, Koji and Izumin knew I was the general’s son from the start but they didn’t really say anything. We spent all of our days together and they treated me as if I was just some other townsperson, not an important figure who was expected to do great things. I guess that’s really why I liked them.”

That was understandable. It was the typical important-son trope that Kageyama had read about in history books or had seen in movies. Hinata didn’t look overly upset at recounting his past but he figured that the feelings would have faded after more than two thousand years.

“So how did they betray you?” Kageyama asked, curious. “They seemed nice.”

Hinata pouted and Kageyama’s eyes followed the curve of his lip. He seemed like such a child, as if the years piled on did nothing to his demeanor. “They were, they really were,” he pressed. “Their parents, not so much.”

“Oh.”

The spirit nodded. “Izumin’s parents thought they could try and use our friendship to their advantage because…well, because they were part of the _Soga_ clan. Koji was the son of an ex-soldier from my father’s army who was discharged because of attempted revolt. As you can probably guess, not the best intentions there.”

“No, I wouldn’t think so.”

Hinata tilted his head back, knitting his brows in thought. “Let’s see… Izumin was bribed into trying to use me to steal my father’s war plans and Koji was forced at knifepoint to try to poison and kill me. He made a very persuading show of inviting me to drinks that evening.” He smiled cheerfully at Kageyama’s wide eyes. “You’re not going to like this next part.”

The mortal swallowed, trying to brace himself. “What happened?”

A shadow passed over Hinata’s face. “Izumin and his family got executed for treason and I killed Koji myself.”

“You’re kidding me,” Kageyama said, immediately recoiling from the cage. He knew that Hinata seemed like a skilled killer but hearing that he killed his _friend_ was a whole other story.

Hinata shook his head. “Un…intentionally,” he said slowly. “Koji technically killed himself. He drank the poisoned drink instead.”

_Definitely straight from a historical drama. Definitely._ The mortal stared the spirit down, watching him bite at his bottom lip as he thought intently. “Why?” He asked, reduced to asking simple questions. There was no clear-cut way to discern what was okay to ask and talk about and not, seeing as Hinata seemed very nonchalant about the entire thing.

“I talked to him,” Hinata said simply. “I talked to him about his life, his issues at home and how I’m also not the poster son of the general. I told him all about life in the palace and he told me what happened after his father came back from being discharged. I knew his mother had died shortly after but he told me that it was because of his father’s treatment towards the family.” The spirit shot Kageyama a sad smile and the mortal felt his heart go out for this boy from two thousand years ago.

“And then he took the poison?”

Hinata nodded. “His dad came into our hiding spot since Koji was apparently taking too long and when he saw that I was still alive, he nearly went rampant. Koji grabbed the cup and drank it right in front of his father.” He dropped his chin onto his knees with hooded eyes. “Then Koji’s father went after _me_ , and, well.”

Kageyama stopped his hand when he saw it was reaching in towards the cage. He pulled back and instead tilted his head closer. “It’s not your fault,” he said.

The usually-energetic spirit looked up in slight surprise at the earnestness in Kageyama’s words. “What?”           

“It’s not your fault,” he repeated. He didn’t need to ask what Koji’s father did afterward. Hinata’s tenseness was all he needed to guess. “I know it happened a long time ago, but it’s still not your fault.”

Hinata stuck his tongue out in a playful manner but Kageyama, as dense as he could admit he could be sometimes, saw clearly through it. He grabbed the bar closest to Hinata’s face, seeing the surprise register in those wide eyes.

“Kagey-“

“When my mom died, I blamed it all on myself.” It was true. The questions on whether or not he was a good enough son or if he did enough to connect with her on a deeply emotional level was something that haunted him even now. “But sometimes you just have to realize that you can’t fix everything yourself and that sometimes, someone will have a problem that you want to try and help with but can only do so much.” Ignoring the ache in his chest at the memory of his mother and the scene that he and his father came home to that one day, he closed his eyes. “You’re too stupidly nice for your own good-“    

“ _Hey-_ “

“But I’m more than positive that they realized it too. Koji especially. To lay down his life for you? They hold you to a high standard. They didn’t use your status as a vindictive reason.”

Hinata sighed and turned his head away. “It was a long time ago. I’ve come to terms with what happened and why. My only regret is not going back to see my father’s face when he realized that his ex-soldier did what he did, though. I avoided a lot of people after I became a spirit so I don’t know.”

That sparked Kageyama’s interest. Hinata was the oldest spirit to date in the center, apparently, and hearing his beginning story was only the tip of the iceberg. _What did you do once you became a spirit? What sort of adventures did you have? Who did you meet from other ages? What did you think of them?_ A plethora of questions were just waiting to come forth but Kageyama didn’t want to seem overwhelming.

As if hearing his thoughts, however, Hinata smiled. “You’re curious about the ‘what happened next’ part, aren’t you?”

Kageyama narrowed his eyes. “Well…yeah. You’re _dead_. I’ve never met a dead person before.”

“You’re very _crude_ , Kageyama.”

“So what happened next?”

Hinata took a deep breath before launching into the next portion of his life story. “I didn’t show up in Yokohama.” At Kageyama’s confused expression, he clarified. “It’s a popular spirit street where everyone shows up at when they die. But Yokohama didn’t exist yet when I died so I showed up in the middle of the forest. It was _really confusing_.”

“Did you know you were dead?” Kageyama inquired.

“Well, _duh_. It’s kind of hard to forget getting _stabbed_ to death moments prior. When you die, it’s not like you go through this huge, spiritual journey to find your way to Yokohama.” Hinata shook his head adamantly. “You die, you black out, you reappear in five minutes. The world continues to move on. You’re just _very confused_.”

A screeching in the distance interrupted their conversation briefly, but they had gotten used to the horrific sounds that sometimes penetrated the cave they were in. Hinata barely even looked up before he went on.

“And since no one really knew what was going on back then, no other spirits were there to tell me what to do.” He shrugged. “So I wandered.”

“Where did you go?”

“All over Japan! We can’t leave the country of our death but I still went everywhere. All the places that you’ve taken over with buildings and whatever? I’ve seen them as plains of grass or mountains.”

Kageyama curled up more, hugging his knees as he tried to think back far enough to a time where the cities he was familiar with now were nothing but open land. “What do you prefer seeing?” He asked, expecting Hinata to yearn for the olden times of his…youth.

“The buildings, for sure.”

“Oh, really?”

Hinata nodded, turning his bright smile onto Kageyama. “I love seeing the world change. It was like a kick in the face when I died and realized that the world didn’t die with me.”

It was an odd phrase but Kageyama understood completely. The little bit of self-centrism that was within everyone was enough to make people forget that the world was ever-changing, constantly evolving and moving. Kageyama figured that if he died, he too would’ve assumed that everything worth working for was over, yet Hinata found something else. He acknowledged the changing world rather than being spiteful over it.

“I’d watch from the edge of every forest, seeing you people learn how to build tall buildings or play with electricity. Which, by the way, makes _no sense_ at all. I saw the wars happened and the battles that tore the forests apart. I’ve gone through some scary times.”

“Jeez,” Kageyama muttered, turning away to mull over this information. Sitting right next to him, in pain yet being happily reminiscent, was a history professor’s dream. “Were you scared?”

“You can’t really be scared of anything once you’re dead,” Hinata said with tone that said ‘obviously.’

Kageyama grunted, too tired to give the spirit a snarky response in return. “So how did you meet Daichi?” The only other spirit name he knew aside from this ‘Yamaguchi’ that Tsukishima was apparently taken with. Speaking of which, if he ever survived this encounter, that fucking writer was going to get a very intense ass beating.

Hinata seemed to perk up at that. “Well, I had a habit of checking out the new emperors every time a new one was appointed, you know? Just to see what direction Japan would be heading for the next decade or something. Daichi was an emperor in the _Kamakura_ period. As a spirit he’s waaaaaaay younger than me.” Hinata sounded almost smug. Kageyama was astounded.

“You know an _emperor_? And how come I don’t know his name?” ‘Daichi’ didn’t sound familiar whatsoever and even though he hadn’t been the perfect student, every Japanese child could at least be familiar with an emperor’s name when it was said.

“Yeah, but not a lot of people at Karasuno know it so don’t tell anyone.” Hinata was grinning. “And honestly, I forgot his mortal name. He changed it when he got to Yokohama since rumours were already flying that an emperor came to the spirit world instead of going straight to the afterlife.” The recruiter snickered. “Daichi’s _damned_ -damned.”

Kageyama stared at him with large eyes. “Why? Was he a bad emperor?” Japan had had plenty of those.

“Oh, _god_ no. He was amazing.” Hinata shook his head furiously. “I’d say one of the best in Japan. I think it’s because of that that he’s here in the spirit world. He continues to do a lot and more.”

“Huh,” the mortal said, still curious. “So how did you meet?”

“ _Well_ , Daichi and Suga, they died at the same time, had a very fast turnaround time after dying. Maybe that’s because Reasons were already established…” Hinata tapped his chin.

Kageyama interrupted, wanting to have a proper grasp on the topic. “Who’s Suga? And what are Reasons?”

“Suga’s Karasuno’s swordsmaster. He teaches us how to wield our weapons. He was also swordsmaster in Daichi’s court when he was emperor. Heh, they were a very scandalous couple is what Suga told me.”

“The emperor and his swordsmaster?”

“ _I know, right_?”

Kageyama snorted, trying to imagine a majestic emperor and his strong, sturdy swordsmaster being caught in the middle of a rendezvous. It was amusing, to say the least.

“Anyway, a Reason for Moving is what we spirits try and find once we get to the spirit world. It’s kind of like what motivates you mortals to do well in life and be successful. You want a fulfilled life before you die. Our Reasons keep us sane since we have no life to live, yet all the time in the world to do something.”

It was an interesting concept which made sense. “What’s yours?”

“My Reason?”

Kageyama nodded.

“It’s hard to explain,” Hinata said slowly. “I really like tasting new food…”

“You’re so shallow,” Kageyama said in exasperation.

“So?” Hinata shot back, his tone, defensive. “I like tasting new food. I like watching the world change. That’s a reason enough, to see how everything changes around you.”

Kageyama had nothing to say against that. _I don’t even know what my Reason would be if I ever became a spirit. I’d probably just go insane._ “How did you meet?” He asked, trying to turn the conversation away from the current topic. Hinata looked ready to fight and Kageyama realized that Reasons sounded important for a, well, _reason_. It would be like asking Kageyama why he wanted to do well in life. Hard to explain, yet important to his morality all the same.

Hinata squinted at him for a moment before turning his head away. “I was in Yokohama at the time when I heard about Daichi. Rumours were that some spirit was trying to start up a company where he’d ‘save souls from death.’ Starting up a company isn’t surprising since that’s what everyone tries to do once you die but Daichi was trying to do something no one had ever even heard of. People got freaked out when he said that he wanted to be based in a suicide forest because, well, you know. _Suicide_.”

Nodding, Kageyama tried to imagine someone trying to recruit members to join a company that would be based in a suicide forest. It didn’t matter that these spirits were dead, just the idea of suicide was enough to turn everyone away.

“So how did you end up joining them?”

“I was bored,” Hinata said easily and Kageyama jerked his head to stare at him.

“Really?”

The spirit laughed. “Yeah, really. After wandering for a few centuries, you start getting antsy to do _something_ , you know?”

“Why didn’t you join anything else in the spirit world?”

Hinata shrugged. “Because they were boring. I don’t like cooking, I like eating. I didn’t turn into a shifter spirit so I couldn’t be an animal patron. I don’t like running shops. Daichi offered something interesting and I had watched him during his entire empirical reign so I knew that he was a very respectable and successful guy. The moment I heard he was starting up a company, I knew I wanted to join.”

Kageyama nodded slowly. That was understandable. Hinata didn’t seem like the type of person that a typical job could pin down. In fact, thinking of Hinata being the counter of a store was far too unreal to even imagine. Even though they hadn’t known each other for long, Hinata had proved to be someone who constantly had to be moving.

“So you three founded this Center thing?” He asked.

“And Ennoshita. He came along a little bit later but we hadn’t started building yet so he’s also considered a founder.”

Kageyama watched as Hinata picked at cracks in the cave’s floor. “Huh. So who else joined?” He inquired curiously. When and _if_ they ever made it out of this place alive, he was going to demand that he see this Karasuno Recruitment Center. They _were_ supposed to go see it initially but Kageyama had been wary, confused of what he didn’t know. But now, hearing the story of its creation and meaning interested him.

“Weeellll,” Hinata said, tapping the floor with a finger and thinking. “After Ennoshita, Asahi came around. He was really nervous but apparently he was a pretty decent blacksmith at some point in his mortal life before becoming a teacher. Weird occupation jump, right? But Daichi was on him in _seconds_. After that, Nishinoya died and they knew each other in the mortal world so he stuck around Asahi. He’s good enough to recruit though, but he prefers messing around with our weapons.”

Hinata pursed his lips. “Then… oh! The Tanaka siblings.” He grinned. “They were super awesome. They died at the _same time_ which is super rare. I mean, yeah, Daichi and Suga died but those two probably pulled favours from the Gods because you just _can’t_ separate those two. Anyway, the two of them were…Kageyama, what’s the word where they do things for good or bad reasons, as long as they get paid?”

Kageyama had a double take. “You work with _mercenaries_?”

“Right! Mercenaries. Yeah, they left quite a legacy in their mortal life too. People feared them.”

“And they’re…they’re fine with just staying in one area working for one person?” Kageyama asked in shock. What he knew of mercenaries were from the movies and books where they killed when needed and did necessary jobs for money at the expense of ethics. Suddenly, the ‘Tanaka siblings’ sounded horrifying.

“Well, yeah. Saeko always wanted to settle down and Tanaka’s best friends with Nishinoya. They can’t just _leave_.” Hinata spoke as if it were the most obvious things in the world. “Plus, it’s hard for anyone to beat what Kiyoko did for a living.”

Kageyama blinked. “What did Kiyoko do?”

“Narita and Kinoshita both died of an epidemic in their town. Ennoshita took them in immediately since he found them first in Yokohama. Right after them, though, Kiyoko showed up in Yokohama and made a _mess_.”

“Woah. What happened?”

“She was an assassin and because life can be cruel, the first person to spot her in Yokohama was one of the people she killed who had recognized her. Talk about an uproar. She absolutely _hated_ the fact that she was now stuck in a land where she had to face the people she killed.”

Kageyama had fallen silent because holy _shit_ , what kind of Center was Karasuno? Mercenaries, assassins and even emperors filled its walls. And Tsukishima was _involved with them_?

“Oi. Kageyama. Did you hear me? I said she was nearly banished from Yokohama if it hadn’t been for Suga challenging her to a duel. Winner got to choose the loser’s punishment.”

He blinked, turning back to Hinata. “Oh? Who lost?”

“Well. Kiyoko is now under the technical command of Suga there at Karasuno.”

“He must be a _really_ good swordsmaster.”

Hinata snorted. “Next time you see Tsukishima, ask him about his experiences.”

_If I ever see him again, I’m going to be asking him a lot more than just about his experiences._ “So who else?”

“Yachi,” Hinata said, his voice suddenly going quiet. Kageyama noticed a forlorn expression on his face and sympathy tugged at his chest.

“Who’s that?”

The small recruiter shuffled in his spot, head turning to gaze at the entrance of the cave far away. “Someone who’s practically my sister. I don’t think I would be the same if it weren’t for her help. She’s strong and fierce but is also really kind and gentle.” He smiled ruefully. “I bet she’s freaking out because I’m gone.”

“How did she die?” Kageyama asked curiously and Hinata looked even more pained. Suddenly he felt bad for asking.

“Murder.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

Hinata shot him a smile that had regained its vibrancy. “Don’t apologize to me. Yachi’s probably one of the best recruiters at the center aside from Kiyoko, her mentor.”

“Huh,” Kageyama said, trying to ignore the idea of a sweet, murdered girl training to kill people under the mentorship of a professional assassin. “Fair enough.”

“Last but not least is Yamaguchi. He and Yachi died around the same time just a few decades ago so they’re the ones who relate the most to you mortals.”

“He’s the one that Tsukishima’s all…whatever over, right?”

Hinata rolled his eyes and nodded. “They’re disgusting. They’re either purposefully blindfolding themselves or are _horribly_ blind because the electricity in the air whenever they’re by each other is sooooo strong. Even _Tanaka’s_ noticed it.”

“Woah, shit, wait. You’re not telling me that Tsukishima’s got a…got a _thing_ with a fucking _spirit_?”

The recruiter shot him a look. “Just because it’s gross doesn’t mean you need to be rude. It’s not a _thing_ , they’re _in love_. And his name is Yamaguchi, not ‘a fucking spirit.’”

Kageyama was absolutely floored. _Holy shit, Tsukishima. What the hell did you do to yourself? A spirit that’s dead and lives in a_ suicide _forest, can you have picked the WORST possible person to finally dredge up feelings for? And shit – he can feel_ feelings _?_

“You’re kidding,” Kageyama said weakly, feeling sick to his stomach at just the knowledge of his coworker being partial to some spirit out here in the forest.

“Nuh uh,” Hinata said, shaking his head vehemently. “You should’ve seen them at Dragon Night. I swear to god I thought they were going to start sucking face in the middle of the dance-“

“ _Alright, thank you_ ,” Kageyama quickly said, waving his hand frantically in an attempt to get Hinata to shut up. The image was gross, the idea was gross, Tsukishima was gross.

The spirit was smirking at him in amusement and Kageyama wanted to throw up. Both of them immediately stiffened when a noise from the front of the cave reached their ears.

“Helloooo~!” A familiar voice split the calm atmosphere around the spirit and mortal, the defensive barriers that had been put down quickly slamming back up. Hinata looked over slowly while Kageyama gripped his fists in his lap, glaring at the Wraith.

_He’s here too early,_ Kageyama thought, hating how he knew their torture schedule. It hadn’t been too long since the last time he came to abuse him and Hinata so why was he here again? If it was going to be the same as last time, he didn’t think he would be able to survive it…or if Hinata would.

“I’ve got a present for you two!” The Wraith giggled happily and as he stepped closer, Kageyama noticed a huge figure slung over his shoulder, unmoving. He tensed. Was it a dead body to top off the psychological torture that Kageyama was going through? Was it another captive mortal for the Wraith to torment? It didn’t look wispy like Hinata did so he knew it wasn’t a spirit at least.

He and Hinata stayed quiet while the Wraith hummed cheerfully, walking past the two of them towards a point in the cave so far in the back that even if Kageyama tried, his chains wouldn’t let him reach that far. The body was dumped so ungracefully that Kageyama couldn’t help but grimace himself at the pain that probably filled the poor guy’s body.

The Wraith pulled chains out of nowhere, snapping them onto the captive’s wrists and ankles, attaching them to a spot in the cave wall. When finished, he wiped his hands on his pressed suit pants and began walking back towards the front of the cave, completely ignoring his other two prisoners.

_What? That’s it? No explanation, no nothing? Not torture? No, wait, we don’t want that._ “Who is that?” Kageyama braved to ask, feeling Hinata stare at him with wide eyes as the Wraith stopped walking.

The monster turned around and a sly grin stole onto his face. “Blackmail. I want Tsukishima, you see, and he seems to have a little self-righteous streak going on right now. I blame your caged-up friend and his company.” His pointed eyes flickered over to Hinata. “Now I’ve got things to do,” the Wraith said, flicking his fingers dismissively. “He’s not going to wake up any time soon so it’s no use in trying. And,” he grinned viciously before turning to walk away. “If you’re too loud in your attempts, the spectres will hear you.” 

With that, the Wraith disappeared around the cave’s entrance and Kageyama scrambled to his feet, ignoring the way his joints screamed at him and aches begged for him to slow down. Hinata sat up to watch anxiously as he crawled over to where the body was.

His chains stopped him just short of reaching the other person and he grunted in pain when the cuffs dug deeper into the bruises and cuts around his ankles. “Fuck,” he said when he saw the hair colour and profile of a face that looked oddly familiar. _“Oh fuck.”_

“What? What is it? Who is that?” Hinata asked from his cage, trying to move around in order to see. But Kageyama was frozen in horror, staring at the unconscious man before him.

“This is bad,” he said and he heard Hinata’s quick inhale. “This is _really_ fucking bad.”

“Kageyama! Who is that?”

He turned around to look at Hinata across the cave with a pained expression. The spirit read the panic on his face and he seemed to grow even smaller in his cage. There was no way in hell this situation would have a good ending. _How_ the Wraith was able to accomplish this feat was completely lost on Kageyama and he figured he was just lucky that the two men looked so much alike, lest he wasn’t able to recognize him.

“It’s Akiteru. It’s Tsukishima’s brother.”

\---------

The tree had done nothing wrong except exist, really. It was a terrible excuse for its impending death but nothing could stop Tsukishima as he slashed away at it repeatedly with all the strength he had in his body.            

Each swing of the _wakizashis_ left a deep gash within the trunk, bringing the tree closer and closer to toppling over. He could even hear the faint crackle as its weight began to tip slowly with every attack.

Tsukishima was venting. He was venting in the only way he knew how to do and that was by being alone. A nice addition to the coping process were the weapons in his hands and the large expanse of forest to destroy but overall, he liked the solitude. After he left Yamaguchi with promises that yes, he will fight for stupid Kageyama, he went into the forest filled with confusion.

Saying it to Yamaguchi was one thing but Tsukishima was fully aware that it was not safe whatsoever to walk into a spectre-infested area without proper motivation fueling his actions. He knew that if he wanted to save Hinata and Kageyama’s life, he had to _want_ it.

But did he really?

The only thing he had ever strove for in his life was to get his own job and launch his career. Anything other than that was met with half-hearted enthusiasm that would usually borderline cynicism. He was upset now not because he had to go and save people’s lives but because he couldn’t find it in himself to find the motivation to do it.

Preparations for their raid were going on in the Center at the very moment, Yamaguchi caught up in the hectic scramble while Tsukishima slipped away, unnoticed by everyone else. Almost immediately after he had disappeared, Yamaguchi had sent confused and anxious thoughts to him through the bond but Tsukishima had been so frazzled that all he did was lash out.

Feeling Yamaguchi recoil nearly made him turn around and apologize but the sensations of understanding and affection that flooded him afterwards were enough to let Tsukishima know that Yamaguchi knew what was going on. So now he had the spirit to thank for as he made sure no other member tried to find him out in the forest.

Another slice of his _wakizashi_ had the tree finally falling, tipping over with a groaning sound that echoed the pain of the forest. _Sorry,_ he thought without conviction. He turned around to start working on another tree.

_Am I even good enough to fight spectres?_ It was a thought that had hounded him since the beginning of this mess. Even if Yamaguchi and Suga assured him that fighting Suga successfully meant being able to fight spectres, it didn’t guarantee anything. When he and Suga fought, there were many times they accidentally brushed against each other. Wrists when trading blows, arms while defending. That wouldn’t fly when it came to fighting spectres. One wrong move and Tsukishima was _gone_.

Suga had assured him that it was easier once you were actually in the fight, the fear of touching a spectre so strong you tried _very_ hard to avoid touching them. But Tsukishima never ever ‘tried very hard’ before in his life so just this was going to be a ridiculous effort.

Maybe he sounded like a terrible being. Maybe he came off as an absolute _dick_ because of his mentality but he couldn’t help it. His job and now Yamaguchi were the first things ever in his life that he’s been actively working on maintaining in a good standing. His actual _life_? He had never had to worry about it. Now he was going to _war_.

A little bubble of emotion popped into his chest, distracting him from his whacking and the weapon faltered in its path.

_Question._

It was Yamaguchi, pressing gently against the bond. They had yet to share verbal conversations through it but they had been using it so much that Tsukishima could easily understand whatever the spirit wanted to say. He opened up, letting Yamaguchi have the floor.

_Curiosity. Wellbeing. Mental Health._

Tsukishima deadpanned. Even over the bond using basic emotions, he could feel the snarkiness in Yamaguchi’s tone of ‘voice.’ He couldn’t help but roll his eyes when the question came again, practically emphasizing ‘Mental Health.’

He was about to send back something reassuring and warm when a strong gust of wind made him shiver momentarily. Looking up with a frown, he watched the trees’ leaves rustle in the continuous breeze that followed the initial push. It was cold and Tsukishima had to stick the tip of his weapons into the ground so that he ground rub his bare arms.

Figuring it was time to go back and help with preparations, he turned around only to catch sight of something white and fluttering wedged between a set of low hanging branches. It looked like a card, rigid and small, and Tsukishima stared at it suspiciously.

The wind simply grew stronger, buffeting Tsukishima on the back and urging him forward towards the tree that the card was in. Scowling at fate, he walked over and swiped it from the tree, glaring at the offending piece of cardstock in his hand.

In barely legible scrawl, the words ‘Hopes this sweetens the deal!’ filled the back. In the left-hand corner, a huge ‘WRAITH’ was slapped on. Tsukishima felt his mood darken considerably and his grip tightened on the card. _That fucking asshole. What the hell is he talking about?_

Flipping the card around to check the back, his heart stopped and he felt the blood drain from his face. His hands began to shake violently as the wind maliciously tried to penetrate his body. But the frigidness of the air around him wasn’t enough to douse the raging flame of fury that erupted in his chest.

Tsukishima Akiteru  
Consultative Sales Associate, Ebara Corporation  
+81-XXXXXXXXXX

There was no way in hell that this was possible.

There was _no possible way_ that the Wraith could have gotten his hands on his brother.

Yet here was the proof in his hands, an old business card from the time that Akiteru was still working at his company in Tokyo. If it meant anything at all, it was that Akiteru had been straight up abducted.

His fist tightened and the card crumpled in his hand. Snatching his weapons from the ground he spun back towards the Center, stalking towards it with only one goal in his mind.

_Aki-nii. He has Aki-nii. He has my brother. He’s going to hurt my brother,_ kill _my brother. Aki-nii._

The blood pounded in his ears as he completely bypassed the entrance into the building, taking a detour all around to the front. He could hear the sounds inside Karasuno, Tanaka yelling and Daichi calling for order. But none of it registered in his mind as he stepped onto the station’s platform, face expressionless as possible. A sudden swell of questioning feelings filled him but he shut the bond down without thinking, all contact being forced away by the immense amount of anger that filled him.

Yamaguchi was the last thing on his mind as he stepped onto the trolley, turning to face the sign that cheerfully asked for his destination. He hesitated once before steeling himself with determination.

“Yokohama Street.”

\-------

_‘Isn’t that the spectre? Oh my god-!’_

_‘No, no! I heard it’s not a spectre but some crazy mix between a mortal and spirit!’_

_‘So what? Why’s he here?!’_

The whispers reached Tsukishima’s ears from all sides of the street but he didn’t care about them or give their speakers any attention. The moment he stepped off the trolley and onto the street, he was given a wide berth by all spirits. They watched him as he marched towards Sakanoshita, looks of surprise and fear on all their faces.

Tsukishima wasn’t there for them. He was here for something that had been done as a personal blight against _himself_ by the Wraith. He had no time to waste on their petty accuses and irrational fears and suspicions.

He burst into the restaurant without hesitating, hearing shouts of exclamation from various spirits as they tried to edge away from him as best as possible despite being confined to their close seats. Ukai stepped out of the kitchen the moment he heard the noise and his brows raised high at Tsukishima’s appearance.

“Tsukishima-“

“How do I get to The Shade?”

The hush that fell amongst the spirits in the restaurant felt threatening until Ukai grabbed Tsukishima and hauled him into the kitchen, practically slamming him against the wall with an angry expression.

“Woah, woah! Don’t you go saying that name in my restaurant! Do you want to _die_?” Ukai had his hand held tightly in the front of his shirt but Tsukishima couldn’t even care less about the manhandling.

“The Shade,” he repeated slowly, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible. “I need to get to The Shade as quickly as possible.”

Ukai released him, staring at Tsukishima with a look of absolute bewilderment. “Why the hell do you want to go there? Does Daichi know? Does he even know you’re _here_?”

So maybe it wasn’t the best course of action to completely avoid telling anyone at the Center what had happened. But this was _his_ problem. All the hesitations he had in regards to going to The Shade and fighting for Kageyama was completely thrown out the window. Now, the Wraith had taken his brother as well and there was _no way_ he would let that sit.

Daichi and the rest of Karasuno were already a mess because Hinata was taken so Tsukishima wasn’t going to throw on another burden of having to rescue _another_ mortal. The risk that something could go wrong was too high and since the rest of the spirits couldn’t touch Kageyama or Akiteru, Tsukishima realized it would have to be him. He could save all three of them if he only tried hard enough.

“Ukai-san, I really need you to help me,” Tsukishima said, trying to show as much earnestness in his voice as possible. “He has Hinata,” he said quietly, making sure no other employees of the restaurant overheard them. He was already receiving quite a lot of stares.

The restaurant owner jerked. “The Wraith?”

Tsukishima nodded. “Not only that. He has one of my mortal coworkers and he recently just kidnapped my brother. I _need_ to get to The Shade.”

Panic didn’t even have time to register on Ukai’s face properly because Tsukishima was grabbing his shoulders and squeezing tightly, his tone imploring. The man looked conflicted but Tsukishima wasn’t backing down.

“Daichi-“

“Daichi has enough to worry about since one of his members is missing. I’m missing my _brother_. No one else can infiltrate The Shade properly but me since I’m trained in fighting spectres _and_ can touch both spirits and mortals. I didn’t want to worry them,” he insisted, seeing emotions flicker in Ukai’s eyes. This man was one of Daichi’s closest friends. Tsukishima hoped that his case was strong enough to prove that he was right in going off alone.

Ukai pressed his lips thin as he crossed his arms and stared unhappily at Tsukishima. “You’re a mortal going to The Shade. You have a zero chance at surviving.”

“My brother and coworker are still there and the Wraith wants me, not them. He’d keep them alive just to make sure I had incentive to come. I know what I’m getting myself into.”

“This is a suicide mission. Does Yamaguchi know?”

Those were two ironic things to hear. At the mention of Yamaguchi’s name, his palm instinctively tingled. “Maybe if I die then I’ll show up here forever,” he said but Ukai didn’t enjoy his dark humour. “I’ll be fine. I trained with Suga,” he tried to reason.

Ukai stared at him for a few long seconds before sighing, dropping his head. “You’re to tell no one this information, alright? Spirits try to pretend that The Shade doesn’t even exist.”

Relief flooded Tsukishima’s chest as he nodded vehemently. “Of course,” he promised. “Thank you.”

“Thank me when you’re living your life out there, proper,” Ukai said sardonically. Then his voice lowered. “It’s a lot easier to get to The Shade than most spirits think it is.” He jerked his chin back towards the door. “Get on the trolley and when it asks, tell it The Shade.”

“What-“

“There’s a station,” Ukai nodded, “at The Shade. No one knows about it because no one goes. That’s all I can tell you though. I don’t know where he’d be keeping the three of them prisoner.” At the reminder of the captives, Ukai groaned quietly. “I can’t believe he’s got Hinata.”

Tsukishima shrugged before reassessing his portrayal of emotion and nodded instead. “He’s a…” _Good? Smart? No. Interesting?_ “Guy who wouldn’t settle on sitting around, captured. If I can’t do much, I’m sure he’ll have done everything he can as well.”

Ukai looked at him, surprise evident in his eyes as he tried to discern whether or not Tsukishima was lying when he said those compliments about Hinata. Before he could settle on one, however, Tsukishima nodded. “Thank you again.”

“We like you here plenty, Tsukishima, and this might be ironic…but don’t die, okay?”

The mortal couldn’t help but smile faintly. “I’ll try my best.”

When Tsukishima boarded the trolley once more, he didn’t waste time before announcing his destination. Thankfully, no other spirit wanted to get onto a trolley while he was on it so he didn’t have to worry about someone else learning about where he was going. “The Shade,” he said and watched as the small sign seemed to hesitate. It was almost as if it was waiting to see if Tsukishima was actually serious or maybe wanted to change his mind on where to go. “The Shade, please,” he said again forcefully.

The sign clacked down loudly, ‘The Shade’ appearing on the wood above the doors.

Tsukishima sat down and watched as the blur of colours filled the window once more. But unlike the fascinating mirage that never failed to prove him of the spirits’ etherealness, the world outside seemed to grow darker and darker with each second. Within a handful of minutes, he was stepping off the trolley and into The Shade.

It looked like a forest.

It smelled all woodsy like a forest.

It did not for the life of him feel like a forest whatsoever.

The air seemed heavy, so dense that it made Tsukishima have trouble breathing. Almost as if it were a blanket of smog, he raised a hand to his nose with a furrowed expression. It was daytime, he was sure, but the forest was so dark and devoid of sunlight that it felt like Tsukishima had stepped into the actual underworld.

No birds called in the sky and no animals skittered on the forest floor. If Tsukishima had thought the suicide forest felt too quiet on his first trip inside, this was on a completely new level of silence. Goosebumps appeared on his skin as he took hesitant steps forward, unsure where to go or where to start looking.

_This is where the Wraith and his spectres live,_ he thought as he walked slowly away from the station. The trolley had long since disappeared after Tsukishima had gotten off, no doubt wanting to be as far away from The Shade as possible. _I don’t blame it. It’s horrible._

_They’ve been missing for a while…and this is where they’ve been?_ This disgusting portion of land that felt like everything was rotting away. It smelled rank and the oozing feeling of disgust permeated Tsukishima’s skin without any mercy. Every step he took made him feel sicker and Tsukishima’s worry for Kageyama, Hinata and his brother’s sanity skyrocketed. _If I feel like I’m about to go insane now, how are they?_

A sudden screeching noise filled the air before him and Tsukishima immediately tensed, pulling his _wakizashis_ out of their sheathes and holding them out in front of him. _Spectres-!_

There was another gust of wind, not unlike the one that had first showed him the business card earlier, and two forms entered his vision as they staggered out from behind trees. In the darkness and from a distance, they looked like something right out of a nightmare. Zombie-esque with swirls of black energy coming from their bodies, it was enough to send chills down even the bravest person’s spine.

They caught sight of him quickly, their bodies convulsing as they twisted to face Tsukishima in the most grotesque position. The mortal tightened his hands on his weapons, ignoring the sweat that was already forming at his temple.

_‘Moooortalllll…’_ He heard, the raspy whisper so familiar from that one horrible time at his workplace. _That_ was a memory he had suppressed. The spectre, once killed, had proven to be an old classmate of his that had disappeared after graduation. Everyone had thought he went off the grid and to see his deformed body, rid of a vengeful spirit, Tsukishima was absolutely shocked.

But those weren’t the types of thoughts to have in his mind at the moment. Spectres might have been people once but now they were already consumed by their vengeful spirit, lost to the evil unless saved by true death. Tsukishima raised a _wakizashis_ when one of the two spectres came speeding towards him.

_I have to kill them,_ he thought grimly, bracing himself. _I’ve never killed. I never wanted to. But it’s like what Yamaguchi said…they’re already dead._

The spectre’s claw-like arm raised up, slashing at Tsukishima, and he deflected it with a vicious swing of his weapon. The reaping blade sliced into the spectre’s wrist and it screamed in pain, falling back while clutching at the injured area. Tsukishima kept his eye on that spirit as well as the one behind it which was slowly making its way towards him.

Gripping both handles tightly, he raised up the blades to block another flurry of attacks from the spectre’s frighteningly fast arms. They raked at the air, trying to get at him but Tsukishima blocked every single advance, trying to make sure his dipped blade at least touched the skin of the spectre.

Suga’s training had paid off indeed because while the swordmaster was fast and deadly, the spectres were fast but inaccurate. They had bursts of speed that only lasted a few seconds, allowing Tsukishima to quickly regroup himself after dodging attacks or cutting them off. While Suga was scarily precise in landing his hits where he wanted them to go, the spectres made their moves too obvious and Tsukishima had no issue hacking away at rotting limbs that tried to get too close.

_Thank you_ , he thought earnestly whenever Suga’s familiar words filled his ear as he faced attack after attack. While he thought battling one spectre would be ridiculously difficult, it proved not to be. Before he knew it one of his blades was sliding straight through the heart of one spectre and the other was nursing a stump of an arm close to its chest, howling in agony.

Breathing heavily, he watched as the spectre fell to the ground. It didn’t die in any flashy way, instead dropping to the forest floor like a poor human exhausted of its soul. But without thinking much on it, he spun around with his weapon held out again, only to see the last spectre was fleeing, turning away and darting into the trees.

_Shit._ Tsukishima chased after it immediately. Fighting wwo spectres wasn’t the world’s easiest task whatsoever so if this one was going to go off and call for help, Tsukishima would certainly be doomed.

He raced after the spectre, trying to keep sight of it despite the darkness of the forest. He followed the rustling of the undergrowth and grunts of pain, practically sprinting to keep up with the wickedly fast demon.

Tsukishima would have completely blown past the hole in the mountain wall if it hadn’t been for the spectre’s shriek echoing into it when it passed. The spectre darted off but Tsukishima stood frozen, staring at the small, threatening opening, barely large enough for someone bigger than him to pass through. He took a step towards it but hesitated, glancing back to where the spectre disappeared. He had completely lost his chance at following it; even one second of doubt was long enough for a spectre to run. But turning back to the cave, he felt dread fill him.

_It’s not possible…there’s no way…_ Taking a few more steps towards the cave mouth, he stopped at the entrance. Inside was pitch black, making the outside forest seem lighter than it actual was. He couldn’t hear or see anything from where he was and there was just _no way_ they could be in there unless the Wraith actually wanted them to go crazy.

But Tsukishima couldn’t be certain. Bravely he stepped inside, holding his _wakizashis_ out. His steps were slow and the cave seemed more suffocating than the forest itself could ever be. Praying to any and all deities that there weren’t any _spectres_ in the cave, he called out loudly. “Hello?”

There was a clatter from deeper into the cave and Tsukishima shoved his blade out in front of him wildly. He about to charge forward when a responding voice stopped him.

“Hello? Who’s there?” The voice sounded oddly like…

Tsukishima broke into a dead sprint, nearly tripping over the body that seemed to materialize before him. “Kageyama!” he said and jerked in surprise when his vision adjusted and he saw the cage that the mortal was pressed up against. “What the hell, _Hinata_?”

The spirit looked dead, slumped over on the ground pressed close to the side that Kageyama was on. The mortal himself looked immensely worried.

“Tsukishima, what the fuck are you doing here? You’re going to die, there are-“

“Shut up or _you’re_ going to die!” Tsukishima snapped back, already trying to see if his blades could shatter the chains around Kageyama’s ankles. They did nothing but bounce off. “I can’t believe he took you guys, what has he been _doing_ to you? You look like shit!”

Just because this was a happy reunion with his coworker didn’t mean that he didn’t still feel irritated when he saw Kageyama’s face. He grunted in frustration when Kageyama hissed in pain when the cuffs scraped against his raw skin.

“Tsukishima-“

“ _What?_ ” He dropped his head when he realized it was Hinata talking from weakly inside the cage. “Sorry. Are you okay?”

The recruiter was turning over sideways to face him and Tsukishima’s eyes narrowed when his entire form seemed to flicker in and out of nothingness. That was not a good sign. “I’m fine-“

“No you’re _not_ ,” Kageyama cut in.

“-Shut up. The Wraith liked to torture us for fun.” Hinata spoke quickly before Tsukishima could erupt again. “Your brother. He’s over there.”

Tsukishima immediately sat up, following the finger to a spot farther in the back of the cave. He released the unbroken chains and scrambled over, his breath stuttering when he saw Akiteru lying motionlessly by the wall. With trembling fingers, he reached out before stopping himself. “Is he…”

“No,” Kageyama said from across the cave. “But he’s been unconscious for a really long time.”

Tsukishima quietly sighed in relief. Kageyama spoke with confidence that Akiteru was still alive and that was all the reassurance he needed. Seeing his brother’s peaceful face in a wretched land such as this made Tsukishima feel all sorts of guilty for dragging him into this problem.

Standing up, he quickly walked back to Kageyama and knelt down, intent on having another go at the chains. “Alright. Do you know when the Wraith usually comes to-“

“NOW!” Came a loud and ringing shout and Tsukishima’s heart nearly stopped. “The Wraith usually comes noooowwww~!” A peal of sinister laughter spilled from the entrance of the cave and Tsukishima shot to his feet when the Wraith started walking over, snickering to himself while staring at Tsukishima with amusement in his eyes. “Now what is this _splendid_ surprise here in my cave? Tsukishima, you monster, you didn’t even let me know you were coming to visit? How rude.”

Wanting to hurl his weapon straight at the Wraith’s face, Tsukishima had to restrain himself as the Wraith stopped a bit away from him, hands in his pocket. He looked relaxed and nonchalant and Tsukishima was fully aware that both of them knew he was going to come to The Shade.

“I’m here,” Tsukishima said coldly, cutting straight to the chase. “I’m the one you want so let these people go.”

The Wraith’s apprehensive expression fell at Tsukishima’s harsh tone and he sighed, scrunching his nose. The monster glanced at the cage next to Tsukishima as well as the mortal prisoner next to him and he pursed his lips, thinking. “I really don’t want to,” the Wraith said with a shrug.

Tsukishima slashed at the air with a blade. “What the hell? You don’t need them for anything! You wanted me and now I’m here.”

“Tsukishima!” Kageyama hissed, reaching over to yank at his ankle harshly. Tsukishima made a mental note to kick him in the face for nearly making him lose his balance in front of the Wraith. “What the fuck are you doing?”

Completely ignoring him, Tsukishima shook the other man off while the Wraith simply laughed. “You’re so stupid,” he said openly and Tsukishima tensed. “God, you think you can be like the righteous, brave little heroes in the stories you write? Think you can just waltz into my cave, sacrifice yourself and the rest of your friends will continue to live their life telling the stories of your successes to the world? I’m sorry to say this but real life doesn’t happen like it does in the books, Tsukishima.”

The Wraith had something twirling around the fingers on his hand and Tsukishima was repulsed to see that it was something that looked like a black tentacle. It connected to his back and pulsed like a vein.

_He’s right_ , Tsukishima thought darkly, ignoring Kageyama’s insistent questions at his side. _The real world is nothing like the books. I_ know _that. But it doesn’t mean I can’t try._

“I will let them go on one condition, though,” the Wraith said, looking at Tsukishima innocently as a few more tendril-like masses fell from his back and slid across the cave ground. Tsukishima stepped away from them instinctively but they circled him, heading for other targets. “I gave you a proposal, remember?”

“And I refused, remember?”

“Really, I think it’s in part of a good businessman to explore other opportunities,” the Wraith said with a sigh. Tsukishima couldn’t look everywhere at once. He tried to keep his eyes trained on the Wraith but the tentacles were sliding all over the place, some going straight behind him to where Akiteru was.

A gasp filled the air and Tsukishima whipped his head over to look at Hinata who was scrambling at his throat. Black mass surrounded the recruiter’s neck, squeezing. Kageyama was uncharacteristically silent, only giving out grunts of obvious pain when Tsukishima saw that a tendril was set firmly against his mouth and a few others were slowly snaking their way towards his neck.

“What are you…” Tsukishima said, aghast, and another sound dragged his attention elsewhere. The sound of a body being dragged across the ground made him look over and he nearly yelled when he saw Akiteru’s limp form be dragged in front of him, the Wraith’s tentacles holding him captive. “Let him go,” he said as forcefully as possible.

“No,” the Wraith responded petulantly, a smile on his face. “Join me.”

“ _Let him go, Wraith!_ ”

The monster shook his head quickly. “No, no, no! That’s no fun! You’re strong and I _want_ you, Tsukishima. Join me and I’ll let him go.”

Tsukishima was about to just fuck everything and dash at him with blades swinging but he stopped cold when there was a flash of movement. One of the Wraith’s tendrils had a tip that was sharpened to a dangerous point, that which was aimed straight for Akiteru’s neck.

Fear and hysteria were filling him and his vision began to blur. This wasn’t a negotiation, it never was to begin with. Tsukishima _knew_ that coming here wouldn’t be so easy as to show up and set people free. He had been an idiot, _such an idiot_ , and now everyone was going to get hurt because of him.

Yamaguchi’s face appeared in his mind and Tsukishima was suddenly aware of the bond again. It was the _bond_ that felt suffocating, not just the cave. It was like he was holding off a tsunami of emotions and Tsukishima didn’t want to break it just yet. Opening it up would let Yamaguchi know where he was, what he was doing and what was about to happen. Tsukishima couldn’t do that to him.

Brought back to reality by a clearing of throat, a weak whimper left his lips when he saw what the Wraith was doing. The tendril was pressing further in and blood was starting to appear at Akiteru’s neck, dripping down. Whatever Akiteru was under was strong because the man didn’t wake up or move at all. Perhaps he truly was dead and all this was for naught.

“Tsukishima~,” the Wraith said in a sing-song voice. The tendril dug in more and it must have hit a nerve because Akiteru’s body jerked. Tsukishima felt his vision fill with red. “What’s it going to be?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My next large project is a fic with the pairing Juni x Cliffhanger (@Amber)
> 
> Joking, but I'm not joking about the cliffhanger part! Who doesn't love them? ( _"We don't!!" the crowd screams_ )   
> I really can't say much anymore since too many things are happening and I don't trust my tongue to not let slip a little spoiler ;) But I will say that they _do_ drag themselves out of this hellhole of a problem, i promise. 
> 
> Kudos, comments, etc are all appreciated!


	15. That Which Tsukishima Is Not

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for how long this chapter took to be released! School is very demanding and sometimes just getting into a writing swing after tiring days can be a bit of an obstacle! 
> 
> But hey, here is 15! Do you know what that means? _Four more chapters until this entire fic is finished._ Three, if you don't count the epilogue.
> 
> Remember how I said this fic was created based off of songs? Yeah, a while ago, right? Well, I threw another song in!
> 
> Once again, THANK YOU to all my readers, sticking through with this fic and journeying with me as well as my characters!

 

Yamaguchi picked up a wrapped onigiri, checking its contents before placing it back down on the little plate. Next to him was Ennoshita who was perusing the shelves as well, tossing whatever struck his fancy into the basket. They were tasked of going out to Yokohama and grabbing food that they could bring with them to The Shade. It sounded almost as if they were going on a cross-country journey but Suga liked to be prepared. Even the chief didn’t really know how big The Shade was.

Also, Ennoshita was probably in charge of getting Yamaguchi out of the panicked energy inside of the Center. It was no doubt that the young recruiter was slightly freaking out and unlike Yachi who had Kiyoko to take care of her, Ennoshita was the type to simply take him and disappear from the scene. Either way, it worked to calm Yamaguchi down.

_Hinata_ was in the Wraith’s clutches. Their energetic bundle of joy in the Center. It was like the sun itself had been ripped away and they were all scrambling for a plan in the light of the moon. And not only that but one of Tsukishima’s coworkers was abducted as well, most likely an innocent mortal who had no intention whatsoever of being a part of this larger problem in a world that wasn’t his own.

_That bastard,_ Yamaguchi thought darkly. _I’m going to kill him if I see him!_

“Yamaguchi,” came a slightly worried voice and the spirit looked up to see Ennoshita pointing at his hand. He looked with a start to see that he was practically squeezing an onigiri in his fist.

“Oh, crap, sorry-!”

Ennoshita chuckled. “It’s alright. I think we have to buy it now though,” he said in a lowered voice and Yamaguchi could see over his shoulder as the shop owner was staring him down.

Yamaguchi placed the deformed onigiri in the cart, shame flushing his cheeks. A pat on his back assured him that Ennoshita was still smiling. “Relax,” he said and Yamaguchi wished that were even an option. “We’re not going off to war. Take it as an in and out mission,” he tried to reason. All the recruiter could do was stare at Ennoshita with a dubious look. The man sighed. “Okay, you might have to fight _some_. But all you recruiters are going, aren’t you? You won’t be alone.”

Ennoshita, his company, as well as Asahi and Nishinoya were required to stay home, their last barrier in case any spectre or even the Wraith himself found a way back to Karasuno. The thought horrified Yamaguchi but Suga had assured him that it was simply the most cautious of precautions and that there was no way he would let any spectre reach their home.

Yet it still didn’t satiate Yamaguchi’s worry, a scary sense of foreboding having haunted him since the start of this whole mess. _Something’s going to go wrong,_ he thought miserably, grabbing a few snacks that he knew Tsukishima liked off the shelf instinctively. He didn’t like how his mentality was the way it was but that’s simply how he felt. Nothing could stop the sense of urgency tugging in his chest to dash back to the Center and start the raid _immediately_.

“Which do you think Tanaka would like of these two?”

“Both, probably.”

“Hm, you’re right.”

They worked slowly, knowing that Daichi wanted to solidify a good plan before simply rushing into the shade which meant that they had some time here at Yokohama. Part of Yamaguchi felt bad for not being at the Center while everyone was preparing, seeing as he was a recruiter himself, but there weren’t many ‘preparations’ other than Daichi trying to plot out what to do. Yamaguchi was never really a strategist to begin with so even if he were to stay there, he probably would be in his room trying to breathe.

“Are those the things Tsukishima likes?” Ennoshita asked, casually peering into the basket that Yamaguchi was holding. It had a variety of snack foods that the mortal did indeed enjoy, things that he said he couldn’t find in current-day Japan. One of the benefits of the bond was that since it made Tsukishima part spirit, he was able to taste the food of the spirit world. It was unlike Yamaguchi who couldn’t for the life of him taste even a single ‘French fry’.

Yamaguchi glanced down. “Yeah,” he said, fighting a flush. Just thinking back to Tsukishima gave him butterflies. “Just…just figured maybe he’d want things he liked to eat if we’re going to go to a bad place.”

“That’s a sweet idea,” Ennoshita hummed and Yamaguchi felt his cheeks burn even more when he saw the telltale grin on the other man’s face. “How is he?”

“F-Fine,” the recruiter stammered, before dropping his head, giving up entirely. “He’s good.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Silence stretched between them as they stood in the middle of the aisle before Yamaguchi let out a long exhale of breath, his words spilling out in a rush. “Ennoshita, lately…I’ve been thinking that maybe… Maybe I-“

“I know,” came the reassuring voice. Yamaguchi looked up in surprise. “I can read it on your face.”

The recruiter stared at him, trying to figure out what to say. Ennoshita didn’t _look_ mad but Yamaguchi still felt like he was doing something wrong. “I-I…” he said before biting his lip and gripping the basket handle tight. “I don’t know if it’s okay,” he said in a quiet voice.

Ennoshita sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “Lots of things are complicated, emotions aren’t exempt from that.”

That, Yamaguchi knew, was true. But it still didn’t necessarily include the situation where Yamaguchi was a spirit and Tsukishima was a mortal. Did exceptions like that even exist? Or was Yamaguchi continuing to soil the spirit name by involving himself too deeply with Tsukishima?

“What if…” Yamaguchi started off slowly as Ennoshita peered at him in curiosity. The spirit scratched his neck, looking away because he couldn’t bear to look into those seeking eyes. “What if it’s more than just _emotions_ , though?”

“What do you mean?” The other man tilted his head, raising a brow.

_Words are so hard,_ Yamaguchi wailed internally. _Tsukki, how do you do it?!_ “What if it’s more than just me…you know… _liking_ him or something. I don’t just _like_ Tsukki. I don’t just want to be around him. I…you know…” He spluttered and stammered, fighting for control. He couldn’t just say it, it was too heavy, too meaningful, yet it was trying to claw its way out of his throat with the force of a beast.

“Yamaguchi…?”

“I _love_ him,” He blurted out, before burying his face in his hands. “Ennoshita, I love him a lot.” The other man was quiet but Yamaguchi didn’t give him a chance to speak because he barreled on, his words muffled behind his palms.

“I love him even though he’s a mortal. I love everything about him. I don’t know if that’s wrong or not but I can’t help it. He saved me and helped me and each day he comes to Karasuno he makes the place seem so much more fun. He has an attitude but I know everyone else thinks he’s okay and he’s always so kind to me that I can’t believe someone like him exists.” Yamaguchi felt the emotions in his chest swell as he imagined every moment, every chance he had gotten to see Tsukishima in an endearing light. “But he’s a mortal and I’m a spirit and he doesn’t belong here and _I’m_ the one who pulled him into this issue and he can’t see how I’m nothing but trouble because I can’t save a soul and on top of that I’ve dragged him, his coworker _and_ Hinata into this mess and _I’m_ the one who brought the Wraith to Yokohama and-“

“Yamaguchi,” came a stern voice, strong hands prying his own from his face. “Yamaguchi, stop it.” Ennoshita spoke loudly.

His breath was loud, coming out of him in a quick, rapid succession. Yamaguchi felt a pounding in his ears when Ennoshita grasped him by the face, tilting his head up to stare into his eyes. “Breathe,” the man said and Yamaguchi quickly complied, sucking in a deep breath before slowly exhaling it, feeling his pulse still hammer frantically in his chest. “Keep breathing.”

He wanted to apologize, to say sorry for making this such a big deal when it shouldn’t have been, but Ennoshita was already pulling him into his chest, Yamaguchi’s face pressing against his warmth.

“Enno-“

“You’ve done nothing wrong,” the man said firmly and Yamaguchi bit his lip so tightly he felt it might start bleeding. Ennoshita was rubbing the back of his head with a gentle hand and Yamaguchi felt the weight of all his actions crash on him like a flood. He buried his face deeper into the other man’s shirt, willing himself not to cry. “You have done absolutely nothing wrong, Tadashi.”

“But Tsukki-“

“Understood completely what his situation was and accepted it, even going so far as to learning to accept _you_. He wasn’t hesitating when he saved you, a stranger, in the forest that night.”

Yamaguchi thought back to that day. No, Tsukishima had seemed hellbent on trying to get him away from the Edgesiders, so much so that Yamaguchi was far too shocked to even register that someone was trying to help _him_ more than the fact that he was a _mortal_. If Tsukishima had known that he was a spirit, would he have still done it? If he knew that his unsuspecting random act of kindness would lead into to his life being turned upside down, would he have even walked in Yamaguchi’s direction?

“He’s going to fight the unknown at your side for his friend as well as ours and I think that’s the highest form of appreciation and love that one can ever show for another person. Don’t you think so?”

Raising his head, the recruiter looked into the other man’s face. Yamaguchi saw compassion and reassurance. “But is it right to love him?” He asked, a tremor in his voice. Sure, it was easy to say that Tsukishima belonged here, at Yamaguchi’s side, but was it _right_ for him to be there?

Ennoshita put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed, hard. “When is it wrong to love someone?”

_Many times_ , Yamaguchi wanted to argue immediately, but he paused to think. _When two opposing forces clash. When situations aren’t forgiving. If they’re your enemy. It’s not right to love any of them._

“Yamaguchi,” Ennoshita said, as if he could see the gears turning at full force in the spirit’s head. “When is it wrong to _love_ someone?”

_Never_ , the recruiter thought, the word simply popping into his head. He repeated it out loud and Ennoshita smiled. _It’s never wrong to_ love _someone. No matter where they’re from. No matter who they are. No matter what they do._

“So do you feel better now?” Ennoshita asked, and Yamaguchi wanted to laugh.

“Yes and no,” he responded honestly. “I feel much better, thank you, but I’m still worried for later. Do you think we’ll be okay? Do you think Tsukki will? He’s never battled-“ A sudden flash of faint pain made him stop mid-sentence. Ennoshita looked at him curiously as Yamaguchi stared at his wrist in confusion.

He handed his basket to Ennoshita and the man took it without question, although there were enough in his eyes.

Yamaguchi raised his wrist suspiciously, staring at the cuff that hid the bond mark from the work. Suddenly, pain lanced up his arm again, so intense that his knees buckled and he fell to the ground.

“Yamaguchi-!” Ennoshita suddenly exclaimed, dropping down next to him and grabbing his shoulders. “What’s going on?!”

He knew _exactly_ what was going on because this had happened once before, a different situation yet the same results. In fact, he could feel Tsukishima’s emotions pounding on the bond’s walls. They were walls that were usually let down but this sudden rush of pain had scared Yamaguchi, causing him to throw them up immediately.

Plus, he couldn’t pinpoint the emotions properly either. They didn’t feel like the typical feelings of anger or pain. Instead, there was something menacing surrounding it, something insidious that made Yamaguchi feel sick to the stomach just for prodding past the bond’s safety walls.

Ennoshita was looking at him in concern and Yamaguchi squeezed his eyes shut, trying to control his inner workings. They were in public, he _couldn’t_ simply start yelling in pain. Karasuno was already working with a crumbling reputation, there was no way Yamaguchi could make it any worse. Ennoshita was shaking his shoulder, trying to get Yamaguchi to respond, but the spirit was already cautiously reaching out to that wave of emotions just past the bond. What would he feel if he just…slightly…opened-

_AKITERU. LET GO OF MY BROTHER. DON’T HURT HIM. DON’T HURT HIM. DO ANYTHING YOU WANT TO ME BUT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DON’T HURT ANY OF THEM. NO! KAGEYAMA, STOP TALKING! GO TO HINATA, LEAVE ME ALONE! I CAN DO THIS. I NEED TO SAVE HIM. I NEED TO- I NEED TO-_

“Words,” Yamaguchi gasped in surprise, squeezing his eyes shut when the thunderous mantra made his head feel like it’d explore. There had only been one time before that they had shared an actual sentence through the bond between them and that was during a moment of extreme frustration on Tsukishima’s part. Ever since then, the mortal had been very careful with just how much emotion his portrays for the sake of both their sanities. Yet now, in a blast of feeling, sentences, sensations and even an awareness of situation were flooding Yamaguchi’s mind.

“Words?” Ennoshita repeated, kneeling next to him and trying to make sense of what’s happening. “Yamaguchi, what’s going on?”

The realization hit him like a ten-ton brick. He jolted upright, panic pulsing in his veins as he looked at Ennoshita in fear. “Tsukki. He’s not at the Center.”

“What do you mean? He was here today-“

“The Wraith has four of them.” Ennoshita silenced, surprise flickering in his eyes. Yamaguchi went on, willing himself to stay at least _rational_. “Hinata, Tsukki, his coworker and now he even has Tsukki’s _brother_.”

Ennoshita stood up immediately, shock on his face. “He has _who_?”

Scrambling to his feet, Yamaguchi felt lightheaded. “Akiteru, Tsukki’s brother. And Tsukki’s in the Shade right now.”

“What-?!”

“I don’t know what’s happening but he feels like he’s hurt! Ennoshita, we have to go now, I-“ Yamaguchi hesitated. “I want to say that the bond is wrong and that Tsukki’s not there but…” He trailed off, unsure what to say. They were both trying to register the information and Yamaguchi didn’t even know what to _feel_. He had gone through such a wild range of emotions recently that even finding one to go with this situation was impossible.

Ennoshita shook his head, grabbing Yamaguchi’s wrist and dragging him to the front door. Their full baskets of snacks were left abandoned, much to the chagrin of the poor shop owner. “We don’t have much time. Tsukishima’s not ready to fight a hoard of spectres all on his own. What is that idiot thinking?” The man sounded irritated and Yamaguchi admired how he was at least able to settle on an emotion.

“I-I,” Yamaguchi stuttered as they sprinted down the street and onto the first trolley available. “Maybe he’s not actually-“

“Not possible,” Ennoshita said and the recruiter was stunned by the finality in his voice. “Tsukishima is there. You felt that in the bond and connections between people should never be wrong.”

Yamaguchi was scared. Tsukishima, somehow, had found his way into the Shade. Did Daichi know about this? Surely, they would’ve heard word about it by now. How the _hell_ Tsukishima was even able to leave without telling Daichi was another thing that bothered Yamaguchi. The other man’s sudden lack of restraint shocked the spirit.

By the time they were stumbling into Karasuno, straight into the midst of final journey preparations, they were both a bundle of high strung nerves.

“Hey!” Tanaka greeted, waving his arms wildly. “Did you get me some-“

“Daichi!” Ennoshita barked, his voice so loud and commanding that the other recruiter blinked in shock at the sudden tone of voice. “Daichi, we have a problem!”

Ennoshita stormed down the hallway, hearing replying voices deeper in the center. Yamaguchi was left in the entrance way, wringing his hands nervously and looking at Tanaka who watched Ennoshita leave in a hurry. The other recruiter quickly turned back to stare at him. “What happened?” He asked in surprise.

Yamaguchi bit his lip hard before answering. “Is Tsukki here?”

Tanaka blinked. “He…should be? Didn’t he go off into the back?”

His gaze flickering towards the back door of the Center, Yamaguchi took a few steps forward. “He…” he hesitated, really hoping. “Can we check?”

His fellow recruiter noticed his wary demeanor and Tanaka quickly led the way to the back door, Yamaguchi following close behind him. “Sure,” he said. “I mean, he _should_ be there…unless something happened…?” He eyed Yamaguchi, trying to get an explanation, but the smaller recruiter’s gaze was trained on the backyard as he stepped out quickly and took a sweeping gaze around.

“Tsukki!” He called out, his voice worryingly strained. He received no answer and he kept walking deeper into the forest, frantically searching. “TSUKKI! TSUKKI ARE YOU OUT HERE?”

“Yamaguchi!” Tanaka’s voice called and he turned to see the recruiter walking quickly towards him with worry on his face. “What’s going on?”

“He’s gone,” Yamaguchi said, his face pale and hands shaking. “He’s gone, I felt it. He’s at The Shade. The Wraith has him, Tanaka!”

The other man’s eyes blew wide before narrowing down into angry slits. “That Wraith is a goddamn _freak_ ,” he hissed, whirling around to stomp back towards the center. “Is that what Ennoshita’s telling Daichi right now? Gah! We need to go! Right now!”

Yamaguchi fell into step next to him, anxiety gnawing at his veins. The moment they stepped back into the Center, Daichi, Suga and Ennoshita were rushing around the corner with grave expressions.

“Daichi, I’m sorry-“ Yamaguchi gasped on instinct but the chief of the center simply walked up to him with a confused expression, grabbing his shoulders and crushing him to his chest. Yamaguchi blinked, stunned by the sudden display of affection.

“No, _I’m_ sorry,” Daichi said, his voice grim. “I didn’t even know he left; I shouldn’t have left him alone at a time like this.”

Surprised, Yamaguchi pulled away quickly to look up at the guilty face of his Chief. His body screamed to say _No, Daichi, don’t worry,_ but when the chief said something it was usually in one’s best interest to not go against it, especially since Yamaguchi knew that he’d probably just start stuttering right about now. “What are we going to do?” He asked instead, watching the chief glance over at Suga.

“We’re going to The Shade immediately,” the swordsmaster said, walking past Yamaguchi with Ennoshita hot on his trail. As they passed, the light-haired man pressed a firm yet reassuring hand to the recruiter’s shoulder and Yamaguchi felt a bit more relaxed. When Suga was serious, he was _serious_. “Ennoshita, please call the trolley immediately as I round up the recruiters. Daichi,” he said, turning to look at the other man.

Their eyes chattered for a few seconds and Daichi nodded his head as the swordsmaster spun away promptly. He turned back to Yamaguchi and he was about to follow Suga when Daichi’s hand kept him in place. “Yamaguchi, this is going to be dangerous.”

_Why do they tell me these sorts of things?_ Yamaguchi thought, feeling his confident sink. _I_ know _I’m not the strongest fighter. I_ know _I’d rather stay here than go to The Shade._

“But you _must_ come because you’re a very important person to Tsukishima.”

That statement startled him. He had been expecting a ‘you don’t have to’ or ‘we’ll protect you as best we can.’ He didn’t expect this, this affirmation that not only was he an important ‘concept’ to Tsukishima, being bonded to him and everything, but that he was a person in the mortal’s eyes. Spirit or not, even Daichi acknowledged that if anyone, it was Yamaguchi who would be tasked to save him.

“I had no other intention,” he said, nodding once to show his determination.

Daichi smiled, squeezing his arm briefly. “Good. Now let’s go, the trolley’s not going to wait long.”

They both hurried to the front of the center where a group of people were waiting. Yamaguchi saw that it was practically all of Karasuno’s members, save for Ennoshita who was outside, holding the trolley for them all. All of the recruiters were standing by the doorway, their weapons sharpened and determined looks on their faces. Even Yachi, who walked into fights nervous, looked ready to kick some spectre ass. Nishinoya and Asahi were standing off to the side, the small weaponmaker crossing his arms as he stared at the recruiters checking their supplies and weapons. Though he had the raw recruiting skills, Suga was tasking him and Asahi to stay here with Ennoshita in order to hold the fort down. Nishinoya was nodding understandably.

“We’re ready,” Suga said to Daichi when the two of them walked into the foyer. “Weapons sharpened, extras at the ready.” Yamaguchi saw that Tanaka was hefting an extra bag on his back that clanked when it moved. “Food…?” Suga’s gaze drifted to Yamaguchi and the recruiter flushed.

“I, um, sorry… The bond just-“

Suga shook his head, giving him a smile. “That’s fine, we don’t plan to stay long at all.” Yamaguchi sighed quietly in relief.

“Alright,” Daichi said, throwing a hand to the door. “Get on before the trolley leaves.” The turned to the other spirits that were standing by. “Protect our home.”

“Yes sir!”

Everyone quickly got onto the trolley just as soon as the spiritual vehicle got fed up with idling and quickly began chugging away. Curious looks appeared on everyone’s faces as Daichi faced them all. “Here’s the deal. There’s a station at The Shade-“

“What-?!”

“Tanaka, please. There’s a station at The Shade and that’s where we’re headed but under no circumstances are you ever to pass along this information to anyone else or go back to that place again after today. Our plan is simple. In and out. There’s no way to properly sneak into The Shade because they can sense when spirits are on their turf just like how we know when they’re around. There is a possibility we might even face the Wraith. You all know the drill for fighting spectres. Keep it short, make sure they’re dead and no touching. Do you all understand?”

He was met with nods off affirmation and Yamaguchi stared at the little sign that had clicked down, the words ‘The Shade’ printed on it ominously. _Is this how Tsukki got to the Shade? How did he find out there was a station? How did he know where to go?_

His question was quickly answered when Yachi reached over from the spot next to him, wrapping his clenched fist with her hand. “Ukai sent word that Tsukishima had gone to Yokohama earlier today, demanding to know where The Shade was.” Yamaguchi felt the worry in his chest simply grow worse. “He also said that Tsukishima wanted to do this alone, saying that it was his problem, but he couldn’t stand by without letting us know.”

_That idiot!_ He screamed mentally, letting his emotions bash against the bond. Ever since the shop, the words had disappeared but the feelings haven’t. They felt wrong, _so wrong_ , as if the bond was doused in tar and oil. It was so off-putting that even trying to focus on Tsukishima’s end of the bond made Yamaguchi feel nauseous. _That idiot, what are you thinking?!_ He pressed the words to the bond, hoping that if anything, Tsukishima would at least feel Yamaguchi’s concern.  

“It’s all my fault,” he groaned, the same problems resurfacing in his mind, clawing at his sanity and the very-careful emotional walls he had erected since he had first met Tsukishima. Yachi’s hand tightened around his own but that didn’t make him feel better.

“Yamaguchi, don’t think that,” Yachi said, leaning in. “None of it is your fault at all!”

_Wrong,_ he thought miserably, noticing as the rest of the trolley had silenced to a degree, listening to him speak. The attention was horrible but he couldn’t stop the words from rolling off his tongue.

“It’s my fault you’re all here; it’s my fault we’re headed to The Shade,” he said in a crestfallen tone. “It wouldn’t have been like this if only I didn’t drag Tsukishima into our world.” He looked up at the group who was watching him with a variety of expressions on their faces. Daichi looked grim, Suga looked sorrowful and Tanaka had a thoughtful expression as he looked out the window. Saeko was fiddling with her weapon, a frown on her face and Kiyoko was stoic as ever, yet her eyes were cast down. Yachi had taken to leaning her head against Yamaguchi’s shoulder.

“I…I know I’m not the best recruiter. Sometimes I wonder why I’m still even in this position when you all can do so much better than me. I know…I know it’s because I saved during my mortal life that you think I can save again here.” Yamaguchi looked down at his hands, relaxing one to open it and stare at his palm. “I dragged too many people into this, just because I can’t even be a proper functioning spirit. Tsukishima, Hinata and two mortals that had nothing to do with it. I can’t believe it…”

Yachi had turned to bury her face in his shoulder when he brought up Hinata’s name and he felt her gentle shaking. He hoped she wasn’t crying. If Yachi started crying, he would too.

“I want to be the one who saves Tsukki,” he said and his voice cracked slightly. Automatically, Suga surged up from his spot and walked over to him, crushing him into a hug. Yamaguchi closed his eyes, willing himself to not break down just yet. “If I’m the one who dragged him into this mess, I want to be the one who pulls him out. But I don’t know how.”

“Oh, Yamaguchi…” Suga said mournfully.

“If I can’t even save a regular mortal after all these years, how can I save Tsukki from a place full of spectres?” He said, reaching up to grip Suga’s kimono, pulling him closer. Yachi wrestled herself into it and the three of them embraced tightly. He was trusting in himself not to make a dramatic fool of himself in front of his friends but the insecurities he had never voiced to them before were now coming out for all the world to see. “I’m going to try,” he said, “I am definitely going to try my absolute hardest to save him but…” He sighed quietly when he felt a gentle hand pressing against his back and recognized that it was Daichi. “I’m sorry if you find yourself trying to protect me all the time.”

Suga pulled back and dropped into a crouch before him after he spoke. “Yamaguchi, _you are not a burden_ ,” he said firmly and above him, Daichi nodded. The recruiter stared at the other man, waiting for an explanation.

“You are nothing but a delight to us here and your affinity as a recruiter _does not_ define who you are, do you understand?” Yamaguchi nodded simply to please Suga but the swordsmaster quickly shook his shoulders. “You are such a strong person on your own; don’t assume that we see you as anything less. Nothing is your fault, not meeting Tsukishima, not bringing him to Karasuno and not the Wraith. You met a wonderful man and made a new friendship. Bringing him to Karasuno was not a mistake. We all love him.”

The group on the trolley nodded in affirmation and even Tanaka grunted and shrugged a bit, before nodding. Yamaguchi felt his chest clench in gratitude at all of them.

“You _will_ be the one to save Tsukishima and you won’t save him like we do,” Suga said with a warm smile. He reached out to press a few fingers to Yamaguchi’s chest. “You’ll save him in your own special way.”

“We all have our angels and demons,” Daichi suddenly inputted, reaching out to rest a hand on Yamaguchi’s head, lightly ruffling his hair. “We all find a way to deal with them. But Yamaguchi, you deal with them the best out of us all because here you are, ready to face a world of spectres for your friend. You _do_ have the power to save.”

Voices chimed from all over the trolley, Tanaka and Saeko crowing a reassuring ‘Yes, you’ve got it, Yamaguchi!’ to Yachi grabbing him sideways for a hug, murmuring uplifting words of encouragement. Even Kiyoko smiled and told him ‘You’re an admirable person, Yamaguchi. Tsukishima definitely sees that and so do we.’

Dipping his head from the sudden rushes of affection from everyone, he rubbed at his eyes not because of tears but to stop them. “Thank you,” he said quietly. “I’ll do my best.”

At that moment, the trolley dinged to signify that it had arrived at its destination. They all looked up, the calming aura that had settled in the car now quickly morphing into a very tense one. The feeling in the air was an off-putting one, one that made Yamaguchi’s skin crawl. It was as if they were leaving the spirit and mortal realm entirely and stepping into a place where creatures were not simply ‘damned’ but cursed.

Suga stood up, everyone following in suit as Daichi led them off the trolley. They were silent, all of them, not by orders but because they felt like it would be a mistake to even speak. The Shade looked like a forest but an imaginary overcast cloud hung over its branches, almost like smog. It clogged Yamaguchi’s throat.

_This is sickening,_ he thought as he unsheathed his _tantos_ quietly. _This is where the Wraith is from? No wonder he’s a beast._ He could feel the madness at the very fringes of his sanity, crawling stealthily towards him. It wanted him to succumb into the darkness of the human soul, the vengeful part of someone that could eat them alive if they ever fell into its clutches.

Yamaguchi looked around and saw that they were all facing the same thing, Yachi going so far as to even pressing her hands over her ears. Glancing at Daichi in worry, he saw the chief with a grim expression on his face.

“Alright,” Daichi said in a soft voice. The Shade was silent, uncomfortably silent, and that put them all on edge. “This is too much area to search so we need you, Yamaguchi.”

Dutifully, he stepped forward, trying to cease the shaking in his hands.

“Can you try and find Tsukishima using the bond?” Daichi asked, glancing at him. Yamaguchi nodded. Like how he could sense when Tsukishima was at the center, their bond had slowly grown stronger to the point where the intensity of the feeling would grow if they were close together. Right now, he was very certain that Tsukishima was in the forest. Where exactly, however, was his task.

They stepped off at a slow pace, making sure Yamaguchi had the time to feel the bond properly so that they weren’t walking in circles. Deeper and deeper into the forest they went, feeling the ominous aura of The Shade seep into their clothes, hair, everything.

“This way,” Yamaguchi said before stopping abruptly, Yachi nearly running straight into his back.

“Yamaguchi-?”

“There’s something there.”

The crowd looked up, immediately dropping into a fighting stance. Yamaguchi nervously held out his _tanto_ in front of him when a single spectre stepped out from behind a tree. Its abnormally twisted head was staring at them with gaping eye sockets that were dripping a tar like substance. Its limbs were rotten but its nails were as sharp as claws. It took a shuddering step towards them, a low huffing sound that sounded eerily like laughter reaching all their ears.

“Let me handle this one,” Suga said, stepping in front of Yamaguchi easily. “It’ll be fine, just start moving.”

Daichi looked like he wanted to do everything in the world _but_ that, but he knew that Suga was the most capable fighter of them all, especially facing one single spectre.

However, the spectre stopped where it was and threw its head back, letting out an ear-splitting shriek that filled the air and grated their nerves. Immediately there was a flurry of responding wails and noises.

The forest seemed to come alive with black masses that fell from trees, sprang from behind bushes and sprinted through the foliage, all targeting their little circle. _An ambush!_ Yamaguchi thought in horror as he gripped his _tantos_ tightly as a spectre came rushing at him. _They knew we were coming!_

There were too many of them, at least in Yamaguchi’s point of view, but the rest of the recruiters had already bolted into action, attacking the first few spectres that came their way. _I’m a recruiter too, damnit_ , Yamaguchi thought as he immediately joined the fray, slashing away at a spectre whose arm swung too close. _I may not be amazing but I’ve been trained to fight too!_

Yachi was a blur of movement a bit ways from him, expertly slicing into the exact locations that she was aiming for, throat, heart or temple. One could easily freeze in place, mesmerized by the brutality and precision that Yachi encompassed, but this was not the time nor place. Yamaguchi had to spin away in order to avoid a spectre lunging for him, reaching out to slice the creature squarely across the mouth. It wasn’t his target position but the spectre fell to the ground and a huge spear sank into its chest moments later. Yamaguchi shot a quick, grateful smile to Tanaka who shot him a grin before they both turned away again.

The spectres kept coming but this is what Yamaguchi was trained for. Yes, they had fought spectres before but nothing ever took away the scary thrill of possibly getting touched. The recruiters were trained in a sort of dance, weaving through and around spectres while still lashing out viciously, knocking their partners to the ground.

Recruiters with longer weapons such as the Tanaka siblings, Daichi, and Suga had it slightly easier mainly because of their longer range. Suga’s leather cracked through the air and Daichi’s chains knocked into spectres with loud clanks. Screams filled the air that were abruptly cut short when one of the Tanaka’s spears went in one part of their body and through the other.

While Yamaguchi was simply equipped with his small _tantos_ , he depended on the other recruiters in a sort of tag team when dealing with spectres. There was only so close he could get to one with his small daggers, unlike Yachi could dart in and out while still managing to demolish their throats. Hinata especially, with his freakish speed, was a demon on the field, annihilating spectres left and right with his axes. Yamaguchi didn’t mind the backup help, however. Immobilizing them was the most he could do, seeing as people like Saeko or Kiyoko had more fun finishing off the deed themselves.

“Where is Tsukki?!” He found himself yelling uselessly as he warded off a spectre that hissed at his blade. Another lunge forward and the predictable beast was on its knees, clutching at its chest. “Tell me where you’re keeping them!”

“Yamaguchi!” A voice called out and the recruiter spun around to see Daichi pointing upwards. A spectre was falling from the branches of a tree and before Yamaguchi could do anything to get out of the way, Tanaka had thrown himself in front of him, slashing away.

The spectre shrieked, a loud and piercing sound as it stumbled away from Tanaka’s long spear. Tanaka swung forward, catching the spectre on the shoulder and Yamaguchi saw two spectres creeping up behind his friend.

_No-!_ He thought, dashing forward frantically as a spectre reared its claws, ready to sink them into Tanaka’s back. “Tanaka!” He yelled, diving for the ground. The recruiter whirled around just in time to see Yamaguchi skidding low to the ground, his _tantos_ slashing at the spectre’s rotting ankles. The beast fell to the ground and Tanaka pounced forward, stabbing his blade into its chest. He pulled back in enough time to swing hard, knocking the other spectre straight into the waiting spear of his sister who let out a loud battle cry.

“Thanks!” Tanaka gasped as he wiped the sweat off his brow, grunting when another spectre collided with his spear. It was hard, making sure no contact was ever made, but that’s why recruiters fought spectres in packs. The concept of ‘having each other’s backs’ was exercised to the fullest out here.

Yamaguchi nodded quickly in reply, racing away to face the small swarm of spectres that were coming from an unprotected side of their circle. Just because Yamaguchi was a nervous wreck half of the time didn’t mean he couldn’t make himself dive into battle. He was a _recruiter_ , for god’s sake. He knew what his job was.

But he was held back by a strong arm and he whipped his head to see Daichi. “No!” The chief said, gesturing quickly towards the forest. “You need to go. Find Tsukishima and the others and let us handle this!”

The recruiter gaped, trying to think quickly on what to do. He couldn’t just _leave_ them. “But-“

“Go, Yamaguchi,” Daichi said, shaking him roughly by the arm. “You’re the only one that can find them the fastest and we need you to do it quickly. Go!”

He was shoved in the opposite direction, in the path where there were less spectres, and Yamaguchi stumbled, dazed. _I have to find them before more spectres come_ , he thought as he turned around quickly and sprinted away. The clashing and screams at his back seemed to follow him with every step.

Of course, life just had to give him the hardest time possible because he found himself stumbling, grabbing at the closest tree to steady himself. A slight glance behind him made him see that a spectre was hot on his heels, silent but with its claws unsheathed and ready. _Shit, shit-!_ The shock made his stumble turn into a fall and he scrambled frantically away as the spectre seemed to zoom towards him even quicker than before. Its mouth was open, revealing sharpened teeth, and its eyes were completely white, an image that would probably be seared into his mind for the rest of eternity.

_I’m going to die!_

There was a flutter of movement from the sky and a figure dropped down right in front of Yamaguchi, their spear held outwards. The spectre, already on a rush of momentum, collided with the spear and the blade punctured its body completely, coming out of its back with a sickening splurt of blood.

Yamaguchi looked up in grateful surprise as Saeko grinned down at him, shooting him a wink. “That’s for saving my brother!”

“Thank you!” He gasped, climbing to his feet quickly.

“Now go,” Saeko urged, shoving the spectre off her weapon. “Find those idiots. We’ll catch up to you.”

He nodded quickly, turning around to lose himself in the trees. Running quickly, he only slowed down when he was sure that no more spectres were following him. His breath was laboured and he had to lean against a tree to recompose himself.

Closing his eyes, he focused on the bond, trying to get a feel for where they could be. He could feel the slight tugging feeling that the bond had, pulling him towards the place Tsukishima was in but there was something wrong, something completely off the bond. It hadn’t been as noticeable before but it was stronger, telling Yamaguchi that he was closer. With the proximity came more emotions.

_Terror. Sadness. Guilt._

Those were the only emotions that Yamaguchi could pinpoint properly, but everything was covered in a dark haze. It was as if it would take a huge effort just to even reach out and touch Tsukishima’s end of the bond.

_Where are you?_ He thought grimly as he continued to venture deeper into the forest, coming to the bottom of a rising landscape. He walked along the edge of the rock wall, a hand out to guide him. He came to abrupt stop when a cave entrance entered his vision, its mouth dark and menacing. Every fibre of Yamaguchi’s being told him to turn around, run away, but the bond was screaming at him. He swallowed in fear. _You’re in there._

With his _tantos_ out to guard him, he slowly made his way towards the cave and peered in, trying to see through the darkness. Tsukishima was _definitely_ around there, Yamaguchi could feel it, but he couldn’t see or hear him. He took a few steps inside, feeling his hands ache with how tightly he was holding his weapons’ handles.

“Tsu-“

A gasp that ended in a quiet moan filled the air and Yamaguchi immediately tensed, freezing in his spot. When no other sound was made, he took a few steps deeper into the cave and took a sharp intake of breath when he caught sight of a large cage that was pressed against a wall. A familiar figure was inside it, curled up and moving in sporadic, jerking movements.

“Hinata!” Yamaguchi all but cried, rushing to the cave and falling to his knees, immediately testing the bars. They were strong, unbreakable, even when he tried his blades against it.

The captured recruiter continued to writhe on the ground, faced away from Yamaguchi and he scrambled around to the other side of the cage to look at him, only to fall backwards in shock.

_Impossible, no, NO!_

Hinata had his face scrunched up in pure agony, whimpers falling from his bleeding lip from where he was biting down so hard to stop his sounds. There were dark splotches on his cheeks, areas that looked like it was slowly losing all colour and turning a sickly grey. They appeared in a random pattern all over Hinata’s visible skin, reaching his neck and further underneath his clothes. Yamaguchi was horrified to see that along with the writhing were twitches, where Hinata’s fingers would violently claw at his own arms, leaving long gashes of blood.

_He’s turning vengeful,_ Yamaguchi thought, growing sick as he watched his closest friend slowly succumb into the tortured life of a spectre. Hinata looked like he was trying to fight it as best as possible but spirits were no fools. There was absolutely no cure once the vengeful spirit inside you had taken hold. “H-Hinata…”

At his voice, the other recruiter cracked his eyes open slowly. They were red rimmed and flickering around wildly, yet somehow managed to find Yamaguchi’s form and latch on.

“Y-Yama-“ Groans cut his words off and blood continued to drip from his lips. “Ya-“

“Hinata, what happened?” Yamaguchi gripped the bars tight, pressing in as close as he can but also ready to jump away lest Hinata reach out. “Did he do this to you?” His voice wavered because there was a thought he was suppressing, one he _did not_ want to accept right now. “Where’s the Wraith? Where’s Tuskki and the others?”

The recruiter’s mouth gaped open and shut as if he were desperately trying to force out words but Yamaguchi knew it was impossible at this point. Forcing Hinata into more pain made him feel horrible and he didn’t know what to do.       

“It’s okay, Hinata, it’s fine,” he said instead, voice dropping to a comforting tone as he tried to soothe the hurting man. “I’ll find them. I’ll find them and save them and then I’ll save-“ he stopped, not wanting to say lies. Lies don’t keep you safe when facing spirits who are on the cusp of final death.

Hinata’s eyes reached his once more and Yamaguchi felt his dams break once more as his shoulders shook in despair. His friend saw this happen and he too closed his eyes, shuddering in what looked like sadness instead of pain.

“Hinata,” Yamaguchi whispered against the bars and Hinata rolled over to press his face into the ground. “Hinata, I can’t save you.”

“’S fine,” came a hoarse reply and Yamaguchi stared grievously at him. “S’ fine, Ya-…”

_How could you say that to him?_ He screamed at himself, pressing his forehead to the bars and squeezing his eyes shut. _How could you, the first person he’s probably seen since he was captured, tell him that he can’t be saved the moment you see him?!_

“Yama…” Hinata breathed and Yamaguchi could tell that each breath was laboured. “There…” Hinata was lifting his head and his eyes were trained behind the other recruiter. Yamaguchi quickly turned around, squinting in the darkness. His eyes had adjusted and he could see a faint form far from the cage, against a wall.

“Who…” he said, quickly standing. “Who is that?” He glanced back at Hinata.

“Ak-“ he was cut off again by another louder moan. The dark splotches were spreading mercilessly, nearly covering his entire neck.

Not wanting to waste any time, Yamaguchi quickly ran over, stopping abruptly when he saw that it was a mortal. _I can’t touch him,_ he thought frantically, walking around to see if the man looked dead or not. He was shocked when he found a face with a surprising likeness to Tsukishima’s own. “Akiteru!” he said in surprise, kneeling down and checking his vitals. Tsukishima’s brother was faintly breathing, his chest having the barest of movement.

_If Akiteru’s here, Tsukki_ has _to be somewhere around,_ he determined, quickly getting up and heading back to the cage. There was no point in trying to free Akiteru if he couldn’t even touch him. Pulling out his _tantos_ , he was going to attempt gnawing away at the bars until help came or he did it himself. But before his blade could even make contact with the bars, a gust of wind blew him backwards, causing his back to skid against the rough cave floor.

Gasping in sudden pain, he realized that the wind wasn’t wind but a blast of energy that continued to fill the cave, feelings of darkness and menace swirling all around him. It suffocated him momentarily before he was able to breathe, quickly scrambling to get up. His _tantos_ were close by and he was about to grab them, ready to face any spectre that walked through the entrance, but he froze.

A figure filled the cave opening, a figure so familiar that Yamaguchi’s chest ached when he saw it. He took a step forward, ready to launch himself into those arms that would be waiting for him, only to stop short when he saw that something was wrong.

Tsukishima was rigid in the entrance, arms limp at his sides though his hands were gripping his _wakizashis_. His head was hung down, hair falling over his face, but Yamaguchi could recognize him anywhere.

He could also recognize those dark, splotchy marks anywhere.

“No,” he whispered, wanting to believe that anything _but_ that had happened to Tsukishima, the person who he had sworn to protect and save. “No…no, no, no!” His legs were moving out of his own accord and he was speeding up, trying to get to Tsukishima.

He was _fine_ , he wasn’t dead! Tsukishima should’ve been okay!

So what were those dark marks on his body?

What was that blank, expressionless look on his face?

The moment Yamaguchi came within touching distance, Tsukishima’s arm swung up so quickly, the _wakizashis_ releasing a little _shing_ of sound as it collided with Yamaguchi’s _tanto_ which he had barely just thrown up in time. He stared at Tsukishima, hysteria clawing at his throat.

_Why is Tuskki a spectre?!_

“TSUKKI!” He screamed hysterically, backing up when Tsukishima took a step forward, eyes still devoid of any recognition as he slowly lifted up his weapon and pointed it at Yamaguchi. “TSUKKI, WHAT ARE YOU _DOING_?!

He received no reply and instead had to stumble away when the _wakizashi_ swung way too close to his stomach. Tsukishima wasn’t simply playing around; every action he made was fueled by the intent to hurt Yamaguchi. The thought alone made Yamaguchi want to fall to the ground and give up.

_We came too late, I didn’t get here on time. He’s a spectre, a_ spectre! _I can’t save him! I can’t. Fucking. Save him. Anymore!_

“Tsukki, please!” He begged desperately, dodging to the best of his ability and parring with as much strength as he could when Tsukishima slashed at him. He couldn’t fight Tsukishima, there was no way in hell he could do that and win. The mortal had trained with Suga almost every single night since he was gifted his weapons and that was more training than _any_ of the recruiters at Karasuno had gone through. None of them were surprised when Tanaka challenged Tsukishima to a duel and lost bitterly. Tsukishima had become good, _far too good_ , and Yamaguchi wasn’t going to risk hurting him or himself. “Tsukki, look! It’s me! Yamaguchi!”

His name must have sparked something in Tsukishima because the spectre’s face suddenly scrunched up momentarily and his actions faltered, the lunge dropping halfway. If Yamaguchi were a complete idiot, he would’ve rushed in and grabbed him, forcing Tsukishima to realize that it was him _,_ Yamaguchi, right in front of him. But he didn’t and his feeling of helplessness grew larger when Tsukishima’s face smoothed out and he resumed attacking.

“It’s me, it’s me!” He tried, running around the cave, trying his best to escape from the dangerously accurate swings that Tsukishima was giving him. “We’re here to save you and your brother, Tsukki, please!”

Tsukishima lunged downwards and Yamaguchi was startled to see that he was doing _Yamaguchi’s_ signature move which was to aim for the ankles to cut the opponent down. He jumped clumsily just in time, only to topple backwards onto the ground, staring up in fear.

“Tsukki, stop! Stop it!” Yamaguchi cried out, holding up both _tantos_ to block a hard swing downwards from the vengeful mortal. Tsukishima’s expression didn’t flicker and when he lifted up, Yamaguchi immediately rolled away and scrambled to his feet, trying to calm his breathing. He couldn’t fight Tsukishima, he _wouldn’t_ fight him, but even dodging his attacks required a calm mind. This wasn’t playful sparring that he and Tsukishima sometimes did, out behind the center where they could afford getting hit or falling to the ground together. He couldn’t gaze stupidly at Tsukishima’s determined face and tease his fighting style, only to get whooped within a couple of seconds. This was a matter of (spiritual) life and death, and Yamaguchi wasn’t particularly interested in finding out what the real afterlife was like anytime soon.

Tsukishima lunged, a grunt of frustration leaving his lips when Yamaguchi simply dodged again. It was just like any other spectre – their moves were predictable. However, Tsukishima was still newly made, as _horrifying_ as that sounded, and he still had all of the reflexes that his mortal-self had. Yamaguchi had to fight tooth and nail just to keep up.

A lunge, a dash, a slash in the air. Tsukishima fought relentlessly and Yamaguchi darted all over the cave, trying to avoid Hinata’s cage and Akiteru’s limp body near the back. He was hoping that soon he’d either find a plan while stalling or that Daichi and the rest of them would come in with a solution of their own.

He was suppressing a bad thought, the only thought, as well as the only solution on how to deal with a spectre. ‘Kill’ and ‘Tsukki’ did not ever belong in a sentence together, especially when this solution provided no other option than him going immediately to the afterlife. If he wasn’t too busy scrambling around the dark cave in an attempt to avoid a reaping blade, Yamaguchi might’ve curled up in a corner and cried because of the crisis that was right in front of him.

“Tsukki, it’s me, it’s Yamaguchi!” He pleaded loudly in vain. “I’m your friend! I’m trying to help you, _please_ don’t do this!”

The same arms that had held him close were now exerting tremendous muscle force as Tsukishima attacked him mercilessly. The same eyes that had gazed into Yamaguchi’s with emotions full of affection and maybe even love were now as blank as slate, looking at him but not seeing him. The same mouth that had kissed him, caressed his skin and whispered how important the spirit was to him was now set in a frustrated line, letting out sounds of irritation whenever Yamaguchi got too far away.

This wasn’t _Tsukishima._ This wasn’t the mortal Yamaguchi had come to know and fallen in love with but the evilness within him, trying to find its way out. They belonged together, Yamaguchi had come to conclude, together to bridge the gap between mortality and death. Hell, they were even _bonded-_

_The BOND!_ Yamaguchi realized, ducking to dodge another attack. The sudden thought gave him a sudden burst of motivation as he ran away with more renewed energy, quickly thinking. _We’re bonded! He’ll hear me through the bond! I just have to-_

“Yamaguchi!”

A familiar voice ripped through the air and both Yamaguchi and Tsukishima froze, heads whipping to the newcomers. Relief swept through the recruiter when he saw Daichi and Suga as well as his other fellow recruiters behind them, standing at the cave entrance. When the scene before them quickly registered in their eyes, expressions of disbelief and horror filled their faces when they saw the familiar spectre in front of Yamaguchi, weapons unsheathed.

“Is that…” Daichi started, only for the blood to drain from his face when Tsukishima turned his head completely towards him, blank and with dark splotches already forming at the base of his neck.

There was a sudden sound and a figure fell from the sky, as if it had jumped down from the top of the cave entrance, right in front of Daichi and Suga. They yelled and stepped back in shock, weapons immediately held out in front of them as the spectre straightened up and tilted his neck side to side, a sickening crack filling the air.

Yamaguchi saw out of the corner of his eye as Tsukishima seemed to tense while his gaze was trained on the other spectre and Yamaguchi slowly began to excruciatingly take slow steps away.

“Suga!” Daichi suddenly barked, waving his arm towards the spectre blocking the entrance. “Clear it! We need to get to Tsukishima and Yamaguchi!”

The swordsmaster immediately moved, lunging forward towards the spectre who had pulled back into a fighting stance. His _kyoketsu shoge_ was spinning in the air, the thin yet deadly blade ready to fly out and dig itself into spectre flesh when a voice broke through the air, weak but desperate.

“…stop…! Stop…please!”

It was faint, the words barely comprehensible, but the voice was immediately recognizable. Almost all movement froze in the cave, even the spectre near the entrance turned completely rigid.

Suga’s weapon was still spinning and when the swordsmaster was about to let it fly, the voice rang out even louder, a harsh plea, filled with desperation.

“STOP!” Hinata screamed and everyone looked to see the imprisoned recruiter in his cave against the wall, pulled up as best as he could against the bars. His eyes were trained on the spectre in front of Suga, tears in his eyes that mixed with blood. “DON’T KILL HIM!”

Yamaguchi realized just in time what that must have meant. Without thinking, he spoke out loud. “Hinata! Is that-“

Tsukishima whipped his head back to stare at him with renewed determination. He raised the blade and Yamaguchi saw the last few decades of his life as a spirit flash before his eyes. In one last frantic attempt, he slammed everything he had into the bond, ignoring the gross feeling of Tsukishima rejecting the attempt.

_TSUKKI!_

The last thing Yamaguchi saw was a flash of _something_ in Tsukishima’s eyes and the sharp edge of the _wakizashis_ quickly turning sideways while it swung downwards. The flat edge of the weapon collided with Yamaguchi’s head and darkness immediately filled his vision.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I making you guys nervous yet? Are you wondering how this is all going to wrap itself up? Haha, it'll happen~ 
> 
> Comments and kudos appreciated!


	16. Hands That Save

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 16! Here you go!  
> Mmm three more until we're done!!! Excited??
> 
> But we're not done yet ;)

 

It was pitch black, an ocean of gently folding waves that lapped at Yamaguchi’s body, tugging him this way and that by its calm current. Time felt like it was standing still, a momentary reprieve from the hectic energy away from this large sea. Yamaguchi opened his eyes, seeing what looked like a curtain of stars far above him, shifting this way and that in a psychedelic pattern that made the mind feel sluggish. He blinked slowly, trying not to succumb back into the comforting feeling that the ocean beneath him offered.

Turning his head sideways, he tried to sit up, finding that he could. Atop the gently rocking waves he sat, turning his head this way and that, only to find that the expanse of black stretched as far as his eyes could see, the light of the stars doing nothing to aid his vision. 

Yamaguchi felt no pain in his body but it wasn’t hard to know that he was unconscious. Or maybe even _dead-_ dead. He could remember the fight between him and Tsukishima, or at least, him dodging while the other relentlessly came after him. His chest tightened at remembering the sight of an emotionless Tsukishima, no recognition in his eyes.

He remembered the appearance of another spectre near the cave entrance, warding Daichi and Suga from coming in and helping them. That was Kageyama, he realized, Tsukishima’s coworker and the other mortal that the Wraith had abducted.

A sick feeling filled his stomach when his mind dwelled on what the monster had turned three innocent people into.

He shifted in his spot, learning that he could stand up, his feet staying on top of the shifting waves as if there were a sturdy floor underneath the inky waters. _Is this the afterlife?_ He thought, taking a few hesitant steps forward. His _tantos_ were still in their sheathes at his sides and he gripped their handles tightly, relishing in the slight comfort that they provided.

“H-Hello?” He called out, hearing his words echo in the emptiness. Though he had every reason to feel nervous, a sort of heavy acceptance settled in his stomach. He was _finally_ dead. This was the afterlife, an empty ocean that he’d wander on forever, a fate worse than being damned on Earth.

Walking forward, he scanned the area. There was nothing around except for the water that lapped at his ankles. Yet he wasn’t wet at all.

His mind wandered back to Tsukishima and his mood instantly plummeted. _I never even had the chance to say goodbye…to say I’m sorry… to say I love you._

Self-loathing filled him as he kicked at the water at his feet, watching it spray upwards and fall back down like oil droplets falling slow motion through water. His last moments on Earth and not only was he completely weak during them, but he had proved completely undependable. He had found the captured people, sure, but he had done nothing to save any of them. Hinata was still in his cage, Tsukishima and Kageyama were still spectres and Akiteru was still in the back of that cave, oblivious to the chaos around him.

“Damnit,” he muttered, kicking around violently, causing small waves to churn around him. “Damnit, damnit, damnit.”

Of all the things he could have done but did not do, it was prove his worth. Including the decades after death number one, he had had _years_ to try and show that he was more than just his father’s apprentice or a recruiter that could not recruit. But he did none of that, instead simply fading back to the shadows where he always thought he belonged.

He thought of his recruiter friends, how they had grown enormously in their strength, honing their skills and refining them to a point where their names were famed in the spirit community. He thought of the weaponmakers, how even their art had proven to be the most useful things to the spirits at Karasuno. He thought of Daichi, Suga and Ennoshita who helped run the center as smoothly as possible, stamping the Karasuno Recruitment name on a permanent spot in the spirit world.

And what did he accomplish?

All he had done was die and pick up a dagger, having nothing to his name but the label ‘recruiter,’ yet even that didn’t come with stories of successes. Now his time was up; he was stuck into the afterlife for good. Not only did he leave his friends and family alone to deal with the spectre problem themselves but he had left at such a crucial time where Tsukishima would be left all alone.

He pressed the heel of his palms to his eyes and rubbed hard. _Stupid, stupid!_ He berated himself. _You bring him in, get him to like you and then leave him alone, a spectre! And to die at whose hands?_

Miserably, he lifted his head, blinking to get the dark spots away from his vision. But one prominent spot stayed. Rubbing his eyes once more, he realized that the dark spot was actually a dark form farther in the distance, a figure that seemed to be sitting up in the water. Hesitantly, he began to walk towards it, slowly starting to unsheath his weapons.

“Hello…?” He called out, seeing the figure turn its head.

The closer he got, the more the figure grew clearer in his view. A warm, familiar smile was on his face and the man, for it was a man, was sitting down comfortably. His hands were in his lap and his back was hunched forward just slightly, curved after years and years of bending over people. He had dark hair, the shade nearly matching the water around him and just underneath it all was a spray of freckles. Yamaguchi practically broke into a run.

“Father!” He gasped, falling into the man’s outstretched and waiting arms. Burying his face into the familiar chest, he was overwhelmed by the sensations that filled him. The scent of cleaning materials still filled his nose mixed with just a bit of spice that was characteristically that of his father’s scent. The large hands that performed surgeries with perfect coordination still felt the same, holding him close. Yamaguchi felt like crying and laughing.

“Tadashi,” His father murmured, clutching him tight. “It’s been so long.”

Unwilling to pull even his head away, Yamaguchi spoke into the man’s chest. “You’re dead,” he said automatically, years of being a damned spirit desensitizing him from the phrase. “I’m so sorry.”

His father laughed, a comforting tone that was tinged with confusion. “Sorry? What for?” A firm hand was lifting his head and Yamaguchi looked up at him, guilt written all over his face.

“For not finishing what you started. I died not long after you did.”

Confusion filled his father’s face even more. “Oh? Is that so?” Yamaguchi nodded morosely.

“And…and things happened. Now I’m here.”

“Where’s ‘here’?”

Yamaguchi felt a bit lost, just as much as his father looked it. “I…Um, here. In the afterlife. I got into a fight with Tsuk- I mean, a s-spectre and I lost.”

His father stared at him, brows furrowed. Yamaguchi simply stared back, horribly confused. He didn’t know what to say because his father was wearing the same stumped expression that he wore when he was analyzing a new disease or intently studying an infected area.

“But Tadashi, this is not the afterlife.”

The recruiter straightened up, blinking. “What?”

He was given a shrug in reply. “This is not the afterlife. It’s a bit drearier…” His father said, glancing around.

“T-Then…then, where am I?” Yamaguchi asked incredulously. If this wasn’t the afterlife, then where was he? If he wasn’t _dead_ -dead, then what was he?

“Your head?” His father said, shrugging, and Yamaguchi stared at him, bewildered. “You’re unconscious, Tadashi. Don’t tell me you forgot how to diagnose that already.”

 “How am I supposed to self-diagnose unconsciousness?” Yamaguchi deadpanned.

“Well for one, the afterlife is _much_ nicer than this place.”

“Father, I’ve never _been_ -“

“I’m joking,” his father said and Yamaguchi wilted just a bit. It had been so long since he had heard the man’s teasing tone. It was a wonderful trait to his serious-doctor personality. “You’re just not completely gone yet, Tadashi. That, I’m positive of.”

“How do you know?” Yamaguchi muttered, sitting down in front of him, crossing his legs.

The man shrugged. “People in the afterlife have either accepted their fate or believed that they lived a good life. You’ve done neither.” Yamaguchi tensed at that. “It’s not hard to see that you’re in the middle of something quite important, son.”

_What do I tell him? Do I tell him everything? Should I tell him_ anything _?_ Questions crowded his mind. Yamaguchi had ‘lived’ far too long that ‘recounting his past’ was anything _but_ a simple feat. The way his father was speaking made him suddenly feel like there was a timer somewhere, ticking downwards.

“Father, I’ve…I’ve met someone,” he decided to say slowly, unsure how to breach the topic except for headfirst.

The man looked excited. “Is she cute?”

Yamaguchi flushed. Was Tsukishima _cute_? “He’s…very handsome?” He settled on saying in reply, peeking hesitantly at his father.

The excited expression simply turned into an amused one. “Oh? Does he have a job that can support himself?” Yamaguchi thought to Tsukishima’s blossoming writing career and he nodded immediately. His father smiled. “That’s very good. Now, what about him?”

There was a pause before he said, “I’ve left him alone, hurting. And I don’t know if I can save him.” A sigh escaped him before he could stop it. “I don’t know if I can save _anyone_ anymore.”

A sudden sound made him jerk his head up to see that his father and clapped loudly, a stern expression on his face. He looked like he always did when lecturing Yamaguchi about certain diseases and their symptoms. “Tadashi, how dare you say that in front of me.” It took the recruiter a moment to realize that he really _shouldn’t_ have said that. To his father, he was still his medical apprentice, not a recruiter. “You are fully aware that you can save lives just as well as I can.”

Wanting to argue against that but not wanting to anger the man, Yamaguchi meekly nodded, yet his father plowed on.

“You are one of the top doctors-in-training in our area, famed amongst my clients as well as yours. You may have died but your name will be transcribed through the ages, I’m sure of it.”

The recruiter lowered his head, not wanting his father to see the flash of shame that undoubtedly appeared on his face. What his father didn’t know was that he was probably going to be remembered as the doctor’s son that lost his will to live in life, finally beaten by the one thing that he had been trained since childhood to combat.

“Whatever is ailing this man of yours, the cure is, and always will be, within your reach. That is the Yamaguchi way, do you not remember?”

_Of course I remember,_ Yamaguchi wanted to protest but he kept his mouth shut tight when he realized that he had only remembered _just now_ , after decades of being lost as a spirit. Their family motto, their way of life, it had been transcribed into their souls since they were born. Guilt filled him even more when he realized that he had all but forgotten it.

“But father,” he said quickly, “there’s really no cure for this. Even after decades and decades, no one has found-“

“Tadashi,” his father said sternly, raising a hand. “I don’t like that attitude. When have we ever failed at finding a cure? We might have been unable to save a life over our careers, but treatments and cures…they come to us. Correct?”

“Correct,” Yamaguchi responded dutifully.

“Whether it be the strangest plants found only at the mountain tops or odd combinations of previously-made medicines…we find a way. Correct?”

“Correct.”

“Cutting off a leg might hurt them, but it saves them from their infection spreading. Correct?”

Yamaguchi dropped his head. “Correct,” he said. “Taking their life if it’s becoming too much of a pain…is also a way. Right?” His fists tightened on his thighs.

A firm hand appeared on his shoulder, squeezing lightly. “Correct. But I’m sure you’ll find a way that’s not so drastic.”

“How?” he asked, unable to hide the miserable tone in his voice. His father had always been the type to charge forward, innovating, discovering, saving. Yamaguchi figured he got his slight meekness from his mother’s side, but really, she was a powerful woman too. “I don’t want to be too late.”

The hand on his shoulder dropped down and his father took both of his hands into his. He turned them over, opening up Yamaguchi’s palms. “Our hands have healed countless of lives, Tadashi,” the man said comfortingly. “They might have been failing you recently, but perhaps it’s because they were meant for different things.” Yamaguchi looked up at him in confusion. Brown eyes were gazing at him with confidence blazing within their irises. “Can you not trust them once more to save the thing more important to you?”

_Meant…for different things? They’re meant to save, which I can’t do. I used to be able to save with herbs and tonics and medications, now I can’t save with a weap…_ Realization seemed to engulf him in a quick surge as he straightened up, eyes wide. His father must have caught on for he simply smiled, releasing his hands.

“I need to go,” he said, scrambling to get to his feet as plots and plans formulated in his mind, twisting and turning over each other as he tried to find the perfect solution. “I need to wake up.”

“Yes, I suppose that you do,” his father said, a slight reluctant tone heard in his voice. Yamaguchi looked at him, an ache in his chest. This was a meeting most unexpected, yet treasured all the same. He didn’t understand why his father appeared in his unconsciousness or how it was even possible, but he realized that it was most certainly needed.

He smiled faintly, scratching at his neck. “I…”

“Tadashi, did I not tell you to stop looking so wilted?”

Automatically, the recruiter stood up straight, nodding quickly. However, his shoulders immediately dropped again when he saw that his father wasn’t even looking at him, instead turned away with a pensive look on his face. It wasn’t hard to guess what he was feeling; they had worked so close together during their life after all.

“I’ve missed you, father,” Yamaguchi said quietly, seeing the man’s shoulders droop further.

“I’ve missed you as well, Tadashi,” the man said, and opened up his arms once more. Yamaguchi fell into the embrace, holding the older man tight. “Now you must go. Save your world.”

The phrase confused him but there was another more pressing matter. He pulled away. “How do I get back?” They were still sitting in the middle of the sea, no way to leave the current predicament that Yamaguchi found themselves in.

“Well, we are out on the ocean which is the nothingness of your consciousness.”

“What does that have anything to do with it?”

His father smiled. “What do you do when you’re out at sea?” All of a sudden, it felt as if a whirlpool had opened at Yamaguchi’s feet. His heart flew to his throat when he looked down and saw that he was falling into the inky black water.

“Fa-!” He tried to call out, only to see one last glimpse of that sad yet reassuring smile.

“Swim!”

\--------------

Yamaguchi gasped, taking in gulps of air as he coughed, hacking at the water that…wasn’t in his throat. He stopped immediately, stunned by the darkness that filled his vision once more. Was he still on the inky sea? It only took a few seconds for his eyesight to register that no, he wasn’t, and instead he was lying on his back staring up at the ceiling of a cave.

His thoughts were a jumbled mess and he tried to recollect where he just was versus where he was now and why there were sounds of intense fighting going on around him.

As if on instinct, and though his body screamed for him not to do it, he immediately rolled away on his side, feeling the sharp ‘clang!’ of metal hitting the ground where he just lay. His pulse had jacked up once more as things slid into place. He was back in the Wraith’s cave where he had found Hinata, Akiteru, Kageyama _and_ Tsukishima. Three out of the four of them were spectres. Daichi and the rest of his friends had finally found the cave, ready to help and that had been when Tsukishima must have knocked him out.

Another sound of moving air got him jolting to his feet and scrambling away, a familiar tendril slamming into the ground where his head had been, moments prior. With renewed terror, he looked up to see _the Wraith_ , viciously battling Daichi and Suga who looked determined to shut him down once and for all. Yamaguchi searched frantically for the rest of the company, letting out a little sound of panic when he saw that Tsukishima and Kageyama were warding them off from getting closer to Daichi and Suga. Tanaka looked like he was having issues holding back, especially when Tsukishima’s brutal swings kept him near the entrance.

Yamaguchi himself was behind all of this, deeper in the cave while the Wraith’s battle was before him. He was lost in the shadows, unnoticed by them all, left to try and find his own part in this fight. Quickly, he scrambled to his feet, keeping himself pressed against the cave wall.

Glancing down, he saw that Akiteru was close by, dangerously near his own foot. He inched away cautiously, turning back to look at the fight.

Daichi and Suga were doing a tremendous job at containing the range of the Wraith’s attacks, centering his tendrils on just them. They fought with vicious accuracy, having already been used to the creature’s sort of attack before.

The Wraith went after them mercilessly but Daichi wrapped the tendrils around with his metal chain, yanking it taut and allowing Suga to dive in, slicing through it. The tentacle dropped to the ground, writhing slightly before disintegrating into a cloud of black dust. All of it would be ignored, however, because the agonized screeching that left the Wraith’s mouth made their eardrums feel like they would burst.

“YOU DAMN SPIRITS!” The Wraith screamed, lashing out and nearly clipping Suga in the shoulder. The swordsmaster was breathing heavily, exhaustion evident on his face. How long had Yamaguchi been out? How did the fighting even start? _Where did the Wraith even come from?_

But none of that mattered right now. Not when all their lives hung at stake in this small, dark cave.

“Thinking you own this forest, overrunning it with your _shops_ and _restaurants_ , as if you had never left the mortal world!” The Wraith dove for Daichi’s legs but was stopped short by Suga’s leather rope, curling around his ankles. He toppled forward, saving himself from the sharp edge of the Chief’s waiting blade by throwing tendrils out in front of him. The _kusarigama_ sunk into the black flesh and the Wraith snarled, rolling away.

Daichi and Suga didn’t bother to gift him with any replies but the Wraith was relentless, yelling as he fought. “And spirit patrons, festivals, recruitment centers! What are you hoping to accomplish here, _Chief?_ What are you trying to see? A change in the world? A change in the world that you’re not even a living part of?”

Irritation was obvious on the chief’s face but he did nothing but continue to fight. “Daichi!” Suga called out and he grabbed the base handle of his blade itself, tossing the leather handle portion to his partner. Daichi caught it easily and the two rushed forward. The Wraith, unsure of who to follow, tried to send tendrils out to both of them.

Suga tossed the blade above him and ducked, the Wraith’s attack missing. The swordsmaster caught his weapon once more and tossed it forward. Daichi, who was standing anchor, held the handle from a distance while the leather wrapped around the Wraith’s torso. Suga caught it once again and pulled on his head just as Daichi pulled on his own. The Wraith and his tendrils were trapped underneath, panic on his face when he convulsed at how tightly Suga and Daichi were pulling.

“You’re ignoring what spirits turn into! What you _all_ will turn into if you ever want to leave this place!” The Wraith growled the words at them, thrashing violently against his bonds. Slowly, to Yamaguchi’s horror, he could see the tendrils force their way around and out of Suga’s leather bonds. “Spectres, you turn into _spectres_! You turn into _my spectres!_ Do you know how easy it is to set spectres on you all, watching you scurry away in fear and terror?”

Another tug from the Wraith and Daichi was yelling when the handle was being ripped out of his hands and the creature was spreading his tendrils out in a huge, black mass that practically filled the entire cave. One of them crashed into Hinata’s cage and rocked it, the pained recruiter inside of it letting out sounds of panic.

Yamaguchi gasped when he got a better look at Hinata. He was practically a full spectre, the convulsions stopping, making way for only anxious twitching as the recruiter jumped around the cage. Yamaguchi had half a mind to sprint over there but as soon as he straightened up, ready to run behind the battling spirits, the Wraith turned his head and caught sight of him.

_“You!”_ The Wraith cried and a tendril shot out at him. Yamaguchi cried out and jumped in time to avoid its large swing. Suga called out for him, about to run over but was stopped by the Wraith when various sharp points stopped his path. “You and your stupid bond, that’s all you spirits are good for anyway.”

A sick grin slid onto the Wraith’s face as he said that and Yamaguchi felt nauseous. _What is he talking about?_

“Do you want to know how useful your little bonds are, Yamaguchi?” The Wraith whirled around, hands spread open wide as a black wall of tentacles seemed to hold Daichi and Suga back with tremendous force. “You’re _nothing_ if not a catalyst, my dear little spirit. _This_ is what you’re responsible for!”

An obscured shout from the front was heard and Yamaguchi stared in horror as Tsukishima stepped through the rippling tendrils, a blank expression still on his face. He looked almost bruised all over, a mottled black and blue, the vengeful spirit within him slowly eating him alive. “Tsukki-“

“You helped me create one of the strongest spectres _ever_ , Yamaguchi!” The Wraith said, his voice sounding so gleeful it came off insidious. “You and Hinata, _wonderful_ helpers, because now I’ve got two strong, strong spectres.”

Yamaguchi clanked at Hinata in the cage, confused on what he had to do in the creation of the spectres but he didn’t have time because the Wraith was throwing an arm out, pointing in Yamaguchi’s direction.

“Kill him,” came the low and deadly voice and Yamaguchi jerked just as much as Tsukishima seemed to stiffen. Yet the spectre’s legs seemed to move against his will and Tsukishima stalked forward, brandishing his _wakizashis_ in both hands.

“Tsukki, no, _please_ ,” Yamaguchi said, once again placed back in this terrible situation where there was only one way to go from here. As expected, Tsukishima said nothing to the plea, instead dashing forward to take another hard swing in Yamaguchi’s direction.

This time, Yamaguchi was ready. He was done with running away from his fear as well as the one person who could actually make him feel stronger. Grabbing his _tantos_ and holding them out, he deflected each and every one of Tsukishima’s blows with renewed strength, found after the conversation he had with this father.

_‘Save your world,’_ his father had said, and only now did Yamaguchi feel its meaning resonate within him. Tsukishima was his world, as sappy as that sounded. Tsukishima was his everything, now that he had every second of the world to spend. He was what got Yamaguchi excited every evening, waiting for his arrival in the forest. He was what comforted, reassured and strengthened him, every moment that they were together.

Tsukishima was his _Reason_.

And a spirit’s reason was enough to make him do the impossible.

_I’ve had enough fighting you_ , he thought grimly, dodging another attack as he swung his own dagger up, dangerously close to skimming Tsukishima’s wrist. He could hear the Wraith fighting his friends and farther near the cave, swarms of new spectres came to aid Kageyama in his attempts at holding them all back. But here, Tsukishima was _his_ responsibility. _I’m going to save you, Tsukki!_ He thought desperately as he threw himself at the ground, mentally preparing himself for what was next to come.

At this right angle, Tsukishima would dive down, _wakizashi_ s at the ready for Yamaguchi. The recruiter kept his waiting dagger just by his thigh and he closed his eyes, waiting.

_I’m going to save you,_ he thought, and time seemed to slow down the moment he closed his eyes.

_I’m going to save you, Tsukki._

_But you’re not going to be going alone._

_I want to save you from this torment, this torture that’s hurting you._

_You saved me and now it’s my turn._

_Let’s go together, how about?_

_Tsukki._

As soon as Yamaguchi sensed the body before him, arms raised with the weapon no doubt in the spectre’s hands, he surged upwards, arms throwing themselves open as he collided with Tsukishima’s chest, knocking him back.

They fell over and Yamaguchi expected to feel the cold, painful spear of Tsukishima’s _wakizashis_ plunging into his back but instead there was a gasp that was not his own and –

_PULSE._

The entire cave seemed to vibrate with the force of a strong release of energy. Air rushed around powerfully, slamming people back onto the ground and whipping small rocks and pebbles everywhere. It was a mini whirlwind, centered around Yamaguchi himself as he clutched at Tsukishima’s chest desperately, yelling with intensity.

He could hear the shouts of other recruiters in the distance but nothing connected in his mind. They sounded desperate, frantic, almost scared. _They have every right to be scared,_ Yamaguchi thought simply as he instinctively held on tighter to the body that started to writhe underneath him. _I’m going to turn into a spectre with Tsukki and we’re going to die. Ah, they’re probably sad I didn’t get to tell them goodbye._

Yamaguchi curled in tighter, Tsukishima’s body thrashing. He was not going to let go, not now, not after all of this. He had finally found something worth holding on to and like hell he was going to fuck it up now, just when he was finally about to die.

_Goodbye, Kinoshita, Narita. I wish I spoke to you more, you always seem to have inside jokes that I’d love to get in on._

_Goodbye, Kiyoko. I don’t talk to you much either but you scare me. Guess it’s a good thing I’m not saying this to your face…ahah. But thank you for taking care of Yachi._

_Goodbye, Yachi. You’re an amazing person, my closest friend. Stay true to yourself always and keep being enthusiastic._

_Goodbye, Asahi, Nishinoya. I’ll never forget your kindness and how fun you both are. Thank you for giving me my weapons, thank you for protecting us._

_Goodbye, Tanaka, Saeko, you two fantastic people. I’ll miss your crazy. I’ll miss it a lot._

_Goodbye, Ennoshita. Thank you for everything. Thank you for being there for me always. I’ve never needed someone as levelheaded as you before in my life until now._

_Goodbye, Suga, Daichi. You’ve taken me in and made me who I am and I can’t thank you more than enough for that. I’m so grateful for knowing you both._

_Goodbye, Tsukki, and also hello. Will I see you in the afterlife? Will we find each other?_

“Yamaguchi…”

_Do you think you’ll even know me in the afterlife? Will you know what I did to you? I don’t think I would be able to tell you._

“Yamaguchi-“

_But if there’s even a chance… a chance that we can be together again in the afterlife, then I’ll find a way to-_

“YAMAGUCHI!”

The recruiter’s eyes snapped open with a gasp as he registered that one, he was not in the afterlife and two, _Tsukishima_ was yelling his name underneath him, still writhing and thrashing around.

He looked _okay_.

Yamaguchi had never seen a more welcome sight. The light seemed to have flooded Tsukishima’s eyes once more and there was colour in his cheeks. _Alive_ -person colour. The splotchy marks of a spectre had faded and Yamaguchi was too bewildered by the change that he didn’t realize that Tsukishima was practically gasping for breath.

“T-Tsukki! Tsukki are you okay? I’m sorry, I’m sorry Tsukki-!”

“Get…off!” Tsukishima groaned, body arching as he weakly tried to push Yamaguchi away. The recruiter was stunned, albeit a bit hurt, until he glanced around and realized with a start that they were in the middle of what looked like a mini whirlpool of wind, dirt and rocks. They were lying right at the center.

Daichi, Suga and the rest of them were still by the entrance, busy trying to hold back the Wraith who had vengeful eyes full of fury aimed right at Yamaguchi. He was snarling but Yamaguchi couldn’t hear a single word of it, drowned out by the loud roar of the swirling air around him. He scrambled off immediately, falling to the ground in confused shock.

“T-Tsukki-?”

Tsukishima gasped immediately, clutching at his chest and coughing, crawling away from Yamaguchi, to the edge of the mini storm. Only when he collapsed outside of it, still heavily breathing, did the wind drop and Yamaguchi was left watching everything resume around him.

“-GUCHI IS THE PUPPETEER, EH?!” The Wraith’s loud voice slammed Yamaguchi back into reality and he scrambled to his feet, hands searching for his _tantos_ immediately. The monster looked hellbent to get to him but Daichi and Suga were doing all they could, trying to hold him back. The Wraith looked absolutely livid, eyes darting between Yamaguchi and Tsukishima who was currently picking himself back up, staring at his hands and studying his skin in shock.

_He’s okay…! But, how?!_

He wasn’t able to settle on an answer, however, because the Wraith was letting out another shriek into the air and a barrage of answering calls filled the air outside. The recruiters near the entrance yelled in horror as more spectres seemed to appear out of the shadows and trees, diving into battle.

Yamaguchi watched as spectres that escaped the barricade up in the front immediately dived for Daichi and Suga, forcing them to release the chains they had on the Wraith in order to deflect the claws that went straight at them.

The Wraith, now released, leered at Yamaguchi with a malicious glint in his eyes. “Hiding in the shadows, the one with the actual power, I see.”

Confused, the recruiter took hesitant steps back. “Power?” He repeated, seeing the irritation flicker across the Wraith’s face.

“Shadows are _my_ realm, you scum,” the Wraith snarled. “You can’t sulk around behind the light, hiding the strength that you have and assume you’ll stay safe.”

Yamaguchi had never been more confused in his life. He was nothing, he _had_ nothing. He had no power, no special trait to himself that could have caused the Wraith to become this crazed and angered.

“You are a spirit! A lowly, whisper of a person that _doesn’t exist_.” The Wraith was taking dangerously close steps towards him and Yamaguchi gripped his weapons tight, schooling his expression into one of grim determination. Who cared what he was saying? It didn’t matter if Yamaguchi had no clue what he was saying. “You should not have any right to step out into the light.”

The Wraith threw his arm out, pointing at Yamaguchi and yelled out a single short cry. One spectre near the front broke off immediately and zoomed in his direction. The recruiter saw, startled, as Kageyama’s grim and emotionless face was nearly flying towards him.

He held up his weapons, ready to try his best to fend him off while not hurting him but the claw that Kageyama swiped down was immediately met with a long, glinting blade. Yamaguchi was shoved backwards as Tsukishima suddenly appeared in front of him, holding up his _wakizashis_ and holding Kageyama off as best as possible.

“Tsukki!” Yamaguchi cried, getting to his feet hastily. “Don’t-“

“Leave him to me,” Tsukishima grunted, and Yamaguchi could see the perspiration forming on his face. Kageyama was surprisingly strong and while Tsukishima was as well, the mortal was also very tired. ‘Leaving him to Tsukki’ was the last thing Yamaguchi wanted to do.

He pressed forward, _tantos_ raised. “No,” he said determinedly, only to see Tsukishima glance at him in frustration.

“ _Yamaguchi,_ ” Tsukishima said and shifted sideways to shove him forcefully away, throwing Kageyama off to the side with immense force. “Leave _him_ to me!”

The recruiter was one step away from yelling at Tsukishima in return when he just barely dodged a tendril shooting out, slamming against the wall behind him. _Oh,_ Yamaguchi thought dumbly, turning his head with wide eyes to see his opponent. _Leave Kageyama to you, Tsukki, right. And who do I get to fight? The Wraith. Right. Thank you._

“Stop trying to be a hero,” the Wraith spit, fury raging in his eyes when he saw his spectre be distracted by the insistent mortal that was hounding him. Tsukishima was lashing out just as fiercely as he was as a spirit, but this time with more precision and finesse, so much so that Kageyama looked like he was having a hard time. “And stop _making_ them, too.”

“What are you even talking about?!” Yamaguchi yelled, backing up further into the cave. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Akiteru’s body slumped by the wall, still knocked out. _Someone get him out of here before he gets hurt._ “I’m not _doing_ anything!”

“Liar,” The Wraith snarled and another tendril blasted towards him. Yamaguchi jumped just in time, nearly stumbling at the force “You’ve finally proven that you spirits can _save_. Look at what you’ve done!”

_Save?_ The statement left Yamaguchi shaken, much more than the tentacles that shot towards him continuously. The Wraith seemed to have less of them, probably thanks to Daichi and Suga hacking at them earlier. He looked down at his hands, his plain and uninteresting hands that were holding his weapons. Him? Save? What _did_ happen with Tsukishima?

“Woah,” he said while spinning to avoid another attack. He slashed out, catching the tendril with his blade. It left a deep gash while his wrist brushed the black mass. The Wraith hissed, recoiling it back immediately. Yamaguchi’s eyes flickered up to him, seeing the pain just flit across his face.

The Wraith dived towards him, keeping his tendrils behind him and claws much like the spectres’ own morphed from his hands. Yamaguchi gritted his teeth and dodged, using both _tantos_ to block the passing swipe.

“Yamaguchi!” He heard, and he was barely able to look over when a long weapon was being tossed in the air, straight for him. Instinctively, he dropped one _tanto_ and grabbed hold of the blade in the air. He only had to glance once at the familiar design on its hilt to realize that he was holding one of Tsukishima’s _wakizashis_.

He wanted to look over but the Wraith was already rounding on him, tendrils sharpened to pointy tips. They shot at him mercilessly but Yamaguchi didn’t train for nothing. He deflected them with practiced movements, recalling the way Daichi and Suga used to shoot their weapons at him in a repeated manner, forcing him time and time again not to let them through his barriers.

The Wraith lunged forward, claws bared and Yamaguchi fought back relentlessly, amazed at the sudden burst of confidence he had gained in order to fight the Wraith head on.

“Are you happy with yourself?” The Wraith seethed in between flurries of attacks. “Finally good for something, aren’t you?”

It still worried Yamaguchi, what the Wraith was saying. It was slowly dawning on him that he _had_ done something important and Tsukishima was most certainly involved. Luckily, the Wraith finally beat him to speak, explaining with anger making his voice quiver. “You saved your precious mortal. You took away my spectre. The _strongest_ spectre I’ve ever owned!”

The realization his Yamaguchi then, as he took one quick glance at his apparently not so boring hands.

_I can save spectres._

\--------------

“Kageyama, you bitch,” Tsukishima muttered as he carefully executed his attack, just cutting shallowly into the spectre’s shoulder, forcing him to stumble away in pain. It was _really_ fucking hard not to just hack into the guy without mercy but Tsukishima wasn’t that much of an asshole. Or a murderer.

He had taken it upon himself to go against Kageyama. This was _his_ coworker, his problem. It was also an issue that he didn’t trust any of the other recruiters to treat Kageyama the way Tsukishima wanted to…which was beat him up slightly but not horribly so.

He was kidding.

Kageyama was just as delicate as Tsukishima was because he had learned something when he had entered the cave, just before the three of them had been turned into spectres. The Wraith was ecstatic about Tsukishima, completely off the walls at knowing that he had finally gotten a mortal with a spirit essence inside them. But what made him nearly lose his mind in glee was when he learned that he had _two_.

Hinata and Kageyama had touched, Tsukishima didn’t know when, but it had happened. They hovered around each other, never more than a finger width’s apart, if not always somehow in contact. It would’ve been cute if Tsukishima didn’t realize that this was yet _another_ mortal who now had to deal with a bond, just like his. And not only that, but it was _Kageyama_ of all people. Tsukishima wasn’t sure if Kageyama could handle shit like this.

It was amusing, at first, seeing the terrified look on Hinata’s normally sunny face when Tsukishima learned that they had bonded. He was tempted to tease and say ‘good job and nice going, getting bonded to _him_ ’ but he didn’t after seeing the defensive stance that Kageyama had over the smaller spirit. In a way, it looked endearing, but Tsukishima would rather kill himself than admit _anything_ about Kageyama looked ‘sweet.’

Regardless, Hinata seemed just as attached to Kageyama as the other was and Tsukishima didn’t even have to ask. Their bond marks were both on their palms. _Saps_.

When the Wraith turned them into spectres, it was Hinata who had gone first. Hinata, because the Wraith had claimed it took the longest time for a spirit to turn into a spectre. Kageyama had gone rampant, nearly crazed, as chains held him away from the spectre being urged into Hinata’s cage with him. The spirit had nowhere to run and it was easy for the spectre to simply clamp on. What _wasn’t_ easy was watching the blood drain from Kageyama’s face as he witnessed the slow, agonizing metamorphosis that Hinata went through to turn into a spectre.

The Wraith then turned on him and Kageyama sat and took it, a blank expression on his face as the spectre crept up on him, knocking him back with the force of its pounce. Kageyama grunted in pain but let no other sound and Tsukishima watched, sickened, as the grey spots started to bloom rapidly on his arms. The Wraith had been delighted at his ‘cooperation’ and while Tsukishima wanted to do everything in his power to give the spectre hell, the monster had simply positioned more spiked tendrils at his brother.

It had hurt like a _bitch_ when the spectre grabbed him, a glazed and eager look on its face as its claws began to dig in. The Wraith had pulled it away just in time, however, but Tsukishima’s skin had already felt like it had been lit on fire from the inside out. Truthfully, after the first five minutes – or what felt like hours – of pain, Tsukishima had completely blacked out, only to wake up to Yamaguchi clutching at his chest screaming bloody murder and power so strong it hurt to even breathe.

Judging by the chaos around him, Tsukishima figured he had missed _a lot_.

But Yamaguchi was here again, having found him, god knows how. And the only thing that registered in his mind when he picked himself back up was that the entirety of the recruiting team was here, led by a valiant Daichi and Suga who were trying their best to ward off the Wraith.

The _second_ thing to register his mind was that Kageyama, that fucking bastard, was still a spectre and had his claws out for Yamaguchi.

Which, of course, would not fly.

Kageyama bolted towards him but Tsukishima sidestepped easily. He was an intern, someone fresh out of college, not a skilled fighter like Tsukishima had trained to be. Plus, the spectre was clumsy, flailing when missing its target and just barely turning around in time to try attacking Tsukishima again.

It was getting hard to keep fighting him because as much as Tsukishima liked to make repeated small cuts and bruises on a spectre, he was starting to feel guilty. He had never wanted to hurt _Kageyama_ and he didn’t know what to do. Yamaguchi had somehow cured him from being a spectre, but he wasn’t going to take the risk of letting Kageyama get too close to him in the way he was right now.

“Kuroo’s going to kill us when we get back,” he grunted, having settled on simply conversing with Kageyama as the spectre went after him heatedly. He was stalling for time, trying to figure out what to do or how to give Yamaguchi time. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the smaller spirit keeping up with the Wraith’s attacks, a feat so impressive that Tsukishima nearly wanted to stop and watch. But Daichi and the rest were overwhelmed by spectres, far too busy and frustrated to even look in this direction.

And his brother…yes, his brother was still there in the corner, just within Tsukishima’s vision, fueling his determination to make it out of here alive even more.

 Kageyama did nothing but grunt in response and it probably wasn’t even to Tsukishima’s words. “And Bokuto’s gonna wonder why the hell you look so beat up.” He swung his _wakizashi_ in a circle, stunning the spectre when the tip just barely glanced up its arm, causing another faint line of red. Tsukishima internally cursed because he didn’t mean to make it that long.

“Akaashi will probably mother over you the moment you walk through the door.” He dodged a swipe, parrying the claw away with a quick maneuver of his weapon.

“And I,” he said, grunting in exertion as he shoved Kageyama back violently. “am sorry.”

\---------

The Wraith was relentless, but Yamaguchi had never felt so good with his skills before in his life. With one hand leaving deep cut marks with his _tanto_ and the other using the _wakizashi_ to block the Wraith’s attacks, Yamaguchi dodged and zipped around as if he was born with the skill to fight.

His body felt like it was thrumming with power, a sensation that only filled him the moment he crashed into Tsukishima desperately. The whirlwind had dissipated but he still felt the storm of energy within him, like a wild animal getting its first whiff of fresh blood. The Wraith had been yelling this entire time, shouting nonsense about mortals and spectres and how he could change the world to fit the shadows, to cast the entire earth into the _shade_. There was something about using captured spirits to bond with mortals and then turn the bonded mortals into strong spectres…

But Yamaguchi didn’t particularly care.

He supposed that this was what was supposed to be a ‘hero moment.’ Tsukishima had told him all about those kinds of moments when he was describing the books. The hero would surge up out of a time of total chaos, where there seemed to be no solution in sight. Then, the hero and villain would confront each other, the villain somehow in some way explaining his intentions. After that, the hero would valiantly fight until his last breath, whether it be mentally or physically, doing all he could to vanquish the evil that was hurting everyone he cared for.

Yamaguchi just didn’t _feel_ like the hero. Truth be told, he felt like he was getting the shorter end of the stick, being the worst recruiter to deal with the Wraith. The nervousness had slowly ebbed out of his body after Tsukishima was cured, making way for only irritation, exhaustion and even annoyance. He was _so over this_.

Apparently, his thoughts showed in his actions. He went after the Wraith harder than before, his mind running through every single attack he had ever learned. Yamaguchi had trained with them all, starting from Suga who had the most intensity to Tanaka who had the wildest attacks. Noya and Asahi taught him the ins and outs of wielding blades and Yachi and Hinata shared with him their speed and ferocity. Saeko taught him no mercy and Ennoshita taught him to be relentless. Daichi gave him empowerment and Tsukishima… Well, Tsukishima was his Reason.

The Wraith grunted when the _wakizashi_ swung close to his chest, the very tip cutting his tie clean off. He already looked disheveled enough and Yamaguchi’s attacks had turned into a blur. Tendrils were trying to find him, slamming into places in the ground where the spirit just was moments ago. The recruiter zipped to and fro, focusing on landing as many hits on the black masses as he could. The more he hurt them, the slower they got and the more the Wraith hissed in pain.

Yamaguchi got hits as well, bruises bloom on parts of his body where a tendril had slammed into it but he didn’t let that stop him. The constant pain that the Wraith was attaining was slowly catching up to him as the creature stumbled, creating just a big enough opening for Yamaguchi to dart in, slashing tendrils completely off of their main trunk, the black masses dissolving rapidly.

“Damn you!” The Wraith shrieked, falling back against the wall as he groaned in pain at his fallen weapons. The broken off stumps were flailing wildly from his back and Yamaguchi ran forward, dropping the _wakizashi_.

_This is my weapon. This small dagger is me. And like what we were meant to do, we will save the ones I love!_

The _wakizashi_ fell to the ground with a clang just as Yamaguchi gripped his _tanto_ tight. The Wraith’s eyes widened and his arms went to stop the charging spirit but Yamaguchi was strong.

With one clean movement, he slashed at the Wraith’s throat, cutting in deep. _The trachea is necessary for breathing_. He felt the blade cut the rubbery organ with ease. Immediately, he lifted the dagger and stabbed it clean into the Wraith’s chest, feeling the body convulse. _Just to the left, right above the ventricles. The aorta is where the blood flow is._ He left the dagger there, blocking off everything. Quickly, he spun around and grabbed the _wakizashi_ , turning back to the jerking Wraith whose eyes had rolled back into its head. Without mercy, he stabbed the _wakizashi_ deep into the creature’s stomach. _And the colon, to mess with your bowels._ “Because you’re full of shit,” he spat out, stepping back quickly to watch his gruesome handiwork.

The Wraith twitched violently, blood spilling from all three places. It was a horrible sight but Yamaguchi knew that there was no coming back from that deep of wounds, especially with reaping weapons. Bile rose in his throat as he stared but he forced it down. He silently thanked his father for the anatomy lessons that he never thought he truly needed.

Somehow, he felt completely detached to the battles that raged around him. In the distance, he could hear the recruiters picking off the spectres with ease now, after seeing that their leader had fallen. But staring at the dead creature before him, he felt a rush of confusing emotions.

He had never purposefully killed, not for the decades he had been a spirit or recruiter. He wasn’t even counting the failed moments on shift. Yet here he was, standing before the one thing that had caused the most pain, dead at his hands.

Yet, his friends were saved because of it.

Had the Wraith ever been a person before, like Yamaguchi was once upon a time? Did he have a life that he enjoyed to live? A name that he went by?

Questions of existence flew around in his mind as he turned his head, searching for his second _tanto_. He reached down to grab it slowly, ears buzzing and head filled with the roar of realization that he had killed someone.

In the distance, he heard familiar shouts and cries of the name ‘Hinata’ and he vaguely wondered if the other recruiter was finally saved from his cage. But before he could turn and look, a voice was calling out.

“YAMAGUCHI!”

The spirit lifted his head just in time to see a desperate Tsukishima looking in his direction. Kageyama was in front of him, bedraggled and panting heavily. He was bleeding in various spots and Tsukishima’s expression was grim. Before Yamaguchi could say anything, the mortal was lifting his foot and slamming it on Kageyama’s chest, kicking him backwards.

Kageyama stumbled back towards Yamaguchi and realizing that there was no way he could use his weapon on him and that there was only one thing to do, the recruiter immediately opened his arms to catch the failing body. Kageyama fell into him and just like before, a _pulse_ filled the cave, blowing air momentarily in everyone’s faces. The mortal gasped, slumping down and groaning in pain. Yamaguchi saw with a start at the many cuts and wounds that littered his body but when he glanced up at Tsukishima for a reason he saw that the man was looking in another direction, panic in his face.

Turning his head quickly, he saw that Yachi had managed to unlock Hinata’s cage and the recruiter was out in the open, teeth bared and claws clenching dangerously. Most of the spectres had either been killed or fled and everyone was staring at Hinata, at loss of what to do.

As gently as he could, Yamaguchi shifted Kageyama to lay on the floor, watching him groan more at the soreness of his body. His eyelids flickered lightly and when his ground touched the floor, he let out a soft sound. “H-Hin…Hinata…”

Like a switch had been flipped, Hinata shot up straight at the sound of his voice, turning his head and staring at Kageyama with black, piercing eyes. He shot towards them immediately, blowing past the recruiters who immediately scrambled out of his way, too afraid to touch him and too nervous to try and stop him, risking hurting their friend.

_I’ll save him!_ Yamaguchi thought quickly, pushing Kageyama away as quickly as possible, opening his arms, intending to grab onto the recruiter with all his might. _Hinata, don’t worry!_

Hinata’s speed had not left him even as a spectre. Before Yamaguchi could even register what was happening, Hinata had grabbed a discarded weapon from the ground, one that eerily looked like his personal reaping weapon, an axe. The orange-haired spectre had changed courses, diving straight for Kageyama and Yamaguchi cried out, throwing himself between them.

“NO!”

His arms were open and Hinata collided into his chest. But what Yamaguchi felt was the piercing pain of the axe tip digging straight into his chest and driving itself downward towards his stomach. His arms closed around the last spectre in the cave and as the last _pulse_ filled the air, Yamaguchi’s cry of agony mixed in with many others. The last thing he heard as he felt his clothes rapidly grow wet with blood was Tsukishima screaming as blackness once again filled his vision.

\-----------

_“K-Kageyama…” Hinata sounded nervous and it wasn’t a good tone of voice. The intern looked at him, curiosity in his face. “It’s been a while.”_

_“What are you talking about?” He asked, shifting a bit next to the cage. They had gotten closer during their imprisonment and by now they were comfortable with each other’s presence, separated only by the bars._

_Hinata sighed, fidgeting with his fingers. Kageyama stared at them. He had wanted to take hold of them a long time ago, but circumstances told him no. Or at least, Hinata told him no on day one. He respected that. “I don’t like this…this waiting. What if he just kills us instead?”_

_Sometimes the things Hinata said maybe Kageyama want to stare at him like he was an idiot. But at the same time, they made sense. Neither of them liked the waiting. Neither of them liked seeing the other get hurt. They were just holding out for when someone would finally find them, but who knew when that would be? They had found solace in simply talking about whatever popped into their minds first, relishing in the fact that at least they weren’t going insane because the other was there to talk them down from that edge. God knew that Kageyama would’ve gone completely crazy from the start if it hadn’t been for Hinata’s reassuring voice and interesting stories._

_“He won’t kill us,” he said firmly, hoping that the few dredges of confidence he had in that statement were apparent in his tone. “We’re collateral for anyone that comes to find us.”_

_Hinata frowned. “What does that mean?”_

_“It means that if he wants other people like Tsukishima or Daichi, we can’t kill us because we’re incentive.”_

_“That makes sense.”_

_“I always make sense.”_

_“Tsukishima says you don’t.”_

_“Fuck Tsukishima.”_

_They fell into comfortable silence again, the familiar banter already doing a lot to raise their spirits. Kageyama liked talking to Hinata. He liked arguing with him, teasing him. He_ liked _Hinata. He didn’t know if that was because they were both victim to circumstance and being forced to spend hours next to him was the reason, but regardless, he wouldn’t have wanted to be imprisoned with anyone else but him._

_“What if we do die?”_

_Kageyama glanced at him, raising a brow. “But you’re already dead, dumbass. You can’t die again.”_

_The look he got from Hinata made him realize that the spirit apparently very much considered his spirit life as still a life. “I meant going to the afterlife. That’s where I’d go. I don’t know where you’d end up.”_

_“Being a spirit sounds cool.”_

_Hinata quickly shook his head. “Living forever isn’t. If anything, I’d want you to go straight to the afterlife. Being a spirit is fun but...”_

_“You get to live forever with your friends,” Kageyama pointed out carefully. Hinata had gone back and forth with his spirit dilemma and the intern didn’t really know what to say._

_He got a shrug in return. “I’m talking about you. You’d be alone in the spirit world. We always start off alone.”_

_The mortal silenced at that, thinking. He shifted a bit, looking into the cage at the mop of orange hair that was faced down. He briefly wondered Hinata’s expression was like right now._

_“I’m used to being alone,” he said slowly, keeping his tone neutral._

_Hinata looked up, a frown on his face. So orange, Kageyama thought as he stared into the fierce eyes, always ready to start any sort of counterargument. “That’s not good. Would you have been okay being alone here? I don’t-“_

_“No, so I’m glad you’re here.”_

_The spirit immediately shut his mouth, his eyes widening. Kageyama felt a flush appear at the base of his neck and he thanked god that the cave was just dark enough that it wouldn’t show. Feeling his tongue start to loosen for no apparent reason, his voice began to ramble._

_“I would’ve gone crazy if you weren’t here. I don’t know anything about this world but you’re helping just by being here. And I’m sorry you’re stuck in that cage and I’m sorry you’re getting hurt, but the reason I can even think straight right now is because of you.”_

_Hinata looked like he was ready to cry._

_“I- shit, don’t give me that look, you dumbass. I’m just saying that-“_

_“Kageyama,” the spirit said, his voice wavering. The mortal promptly silenced. “I’m glad you’re here too.”_

_The intern gave him a short yet kind laugh. “Yeah?”_

_“Yeah,” Hinata said, and from the corner of Kageyama’s eye, he could see the spirit’s fingers inch closer towards his at the bottom of the cage._ What is he doing…? _“I’ve never met a mortal like you…well, I don’t meet many mortals…but still. You’re different.”_

_“I’m not that different from most of the world,” Kageyama said promptly, mind still focused on the fingers just a breath away from his._

_Hinata shrugged, leaning in closer to the bars so that his forehead was pressed against it. Kageyama could feel his breath. “But most of the world isn’t here. You are.”_

_“That…doesn’t make sense,” Kageyama practically forced out, eyes now darting between the fingers, Hinata’s eyes and the fact that his entire face was right there. They had been this close before, during moments where Hinata had been in so much pain that Kageyama wished he could just clutch him close and squeeze the misery away. But right now there was no pain. Just a strange fluttering in Kageyama’s chest that was more or less linked to Hinata’s proximity right now._

_“Not many things do,” Hinata said, a smile slowly growing on his face when he saw Kageyama’s hand inching towards his in return. “Like mortals and spirits. Why can’t we talk to you? You are all so fascinating.”_

_“Are we?” Kageyama’s mind was spluttering to a stop._

_“Yeah, you are. You especially. You’re pretty fascinating, Kageyama.”_

_“Am I?”_

_Hinata laughed. “Yes, you are. You know…” Suddenly, there was the long-awaited sensation of skin on his. Hinata’s hand was deathly cold but Kageyama didn’t care as he gasped slightly at the feeling of fingers intertwining with his. The spirit was quick, locking their fingers and hands together tightly and reaching through the bars to grab Kageyama’s face with his free hand._

_The mortal’s head was spinning, everything had happened so fast. After days of not touching Hinata, now they were here, holding their hands as tightly as possible, as if letting go would mean that the other would disappear. And though Hinata’s skin felt dead and frigid, he leaned into the palm, staring at the spirit with wide eyes._

_“W-What?” He asked, not wanting to ask the question exactly. Was this it? Where they bonded? There had been no flashing lights, no sudden spark in the air that showed that they had broken the rules. Is this what happened to Tsukishima and Yamaguchi? Did the idiot writer even know what happened when it did?_

_But all thoughts flew out of his mind when Hinata’s thumb gently rubbed his cheek, amazement filling his eyes. Kageyama reached up immediately, placing his hand over the spirit’s. Hinata was cold, but Kageyama felt warmer than he had in ages._

_“I wish I had met you as a mortal,” Hinata admitted, a faint smile on his lips. “I think I would’ve liked you.”_

_Kageyama’s heart pounded in his chest and his mind halted for a moment, trying desperately to re-circuit itself._

_“What, you don’t like me now?” He ended up asking, his voice strangled._

_Hinata laughed and Kageyama decided that sound was one of the reasons he was definitely still sane. “Oh I like you now.”_

_“I-I do too.”_

_He smirked. “You like yourself too?”_

_Kageyama flushed. “No! I meant I liked y-you too, dumbass…” He trailed off, realizing what he said. But the confession was out there and Hinata was preening. He almost looked like the sun itself._

_“Good. I’m glad.”_

_Their hands tightened around each other and Kageyama finally took the initiative to lean into the cage, feeling Hinata’s forehead press lightly against his. Their noses brushed and he sighed quietly._

_Despite everything, at least he had this._

\--------------

Tsukishima felt the world crumble beneath his feet. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as he dropped his weapon, scrambling towards Yamaguchi who was falling to the ground. He slipped in his haste, slamming his knee into the ground but no pain registered in his mind except for the one that filled his chest and throat.

Someone was screaming and he realized it was him. It was a bloodcurdling sound, one that had never left his mouth before in his life.

He felt like he wasn’t running fast enough, like his legs were made of lead, forcing him to take one shuddering step at a time. The ground was tar, sucking at him eagerly and Tsukishima felt tears of frustration and anger fill his eyes when he saw Yamaguchi’s limp body fall to the ground.

Hinata fell away as well, cured and gasping, but his front was covered with blood. Yamaguchi’s blood.

Tsukishima slid to his knees, scraping them horribly as he grabbed at Yamaguchi’s body desperately. He nearly threw up when he saw the sight: a massive and long gash that ran the whole length of his chest, down to the top of his stomach.

He bellowed Yamaguchi’s name out in hysteria, clutching at his face, trying to get him to open his eyes. Arms grabbed at his sides, forcing him away, trying to pull Yamaguchi from his arms. He didn’t care who it was, he lashed out violently.

But the arms multiplied and he was dragged back, held down as bodies flooded Yamaguchi’s space, blocking Tsukishima from his view.

“YAMAGUCHI!” He screamed, a sob ripping from his chest when he saw Suga quickly throw a cloth over Yamaguchi’s chest, trying to bind it quickly. Even that looked too slow. Everything was too slow. Tsukishima had been too slow.

_“YAMAGUCHI!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two cliffhangers, same person. _I know. I'm not sorry._
> 
> Will Yama be okay?  
> We'll find out in chapter 17! or 18. ooorr 19. Who knows? ;)
> 
> Ta!  
> @tsukidinoshima or @pretentious-git on tumblr. Find me and let's talk :D


	17. Meeting a Spirit: What it Does for the Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!! Here we are~! Chapter 17! 
> 
> So I know that it's been awhile since I last updated and you're probably thinking "Oh my god, we literally just need the last two chapters." Right? Well, never fear. **The whole fic is done.** The last two chapters are all finished and will slowly be making their appearance! 
> 
> But for now, enjoy this :) 
> 
> We've hit the home stretch folks~ time to start wrapping it up.

 

Tsukishima could not name a single point in his life where he had felt this distressed. It tore at his insides like a beast far worse than a spectre or the Wraith himself because unlike those, this was something he couldn’t fight. It hurt worse than the beatings he got in that cave and it gnawed at him insistently. His _wakizashis_ had no role here and neither did his strength.

All he was told he could do was wait.

And if that wasn’t the _hardest_ thing Tsukishima had ever done in his life, then he didn’t know what was.

Everything that happened after the fight was a total blur. Tsukishima could barely remember anything happening aside from Yamaguchi getting hurt. That probably rivaled as the worst moment of his life, worse than when he found out about Akiteru’s invoices. Worse than learning that his brother had been taken. Tsukishima couldn’t even find the words to properly explain how terrible it was.

He remembered Suga trying to bind his wounds as best as possible but Tsukishima had already seen it in all its open gore – a gash so large that he nearly vomited envisioning it. They had made sure to keep Tsukishima a safe distance away and only once Tanaka was carrying Yamaguchi out of the cave quickly did Daichi haul him up, pointing. “Take your brother;” he was commanded, “no one else can touch him.”

And that was how he half-dragged, half-carried Akiteru back onto the trolley and to the Center, a huge radius around them because as much as the recruiters were strong people, they had no interest in having to deal with yet _another_ spectre. Especially with Yamaguchi immobilized, a person that they realized could not simply ‘save’ people but actually pull the vengeful spirit out of peoples’ souls, they did not want to risk it.

Luckily, there was minimal damage on everyone else. They were all bruised and tired but nothing as fatal as Yamaguchi’s wound. However, aside from Tsukishima, Hinata was probably dealing with the most emotional pain.

The small recruiter had quickly regained his senses after being saved, only to have his spirits dashed when he took one look and saw the damage he had done. Yachi herself had to hold him down as he started hyperventilating on the trolley, muttering ‘I’m sorry’ over and over again to a group of recruiters who didn’t blame him for anything. At the Center he was forced into a room by Ennoshita, subject to a thorough check up and patch up.

They all took turns being looked over by Ennoshita but when it came to Tsukishima, he refused to move. Stationed stubbornly at the side of Yamaguchi’s bed, he didn’t let go of Yamaguchi’s hand even when Suga said he was going to bandage him up. The mortal took in the whole sight of Yamaguchi’s torn up chest, biting his lip so hard that he could taste blood in an attempt to stay straight-faced and not do anything rash.

So what if he had been sitting there for a few solid hours straight, ignoring everyone and everything for the sake of just watching Yamaguchi breathe steadily, eyes closed? Just because he was breathing didn’t mean shit because he was a dead spirit. His brother had been relocated to an empty room, still thankfully unconscious, but safe and unharmed. Ennoshita had done a quick check and they settled that it was something Wraith-related, curable perhaps by Yamaguchi’s touch. But that could only work if Yamaguchi woke up…

“Tsukishima?” A soft voice filled the darkness of the room and the mortal barely flickered his eyes over to know that it was Suga, sliding the door open and entering in quietly. “I’ve brought you some water.”

Raising his head slightly from where he was slightly dozing off, he pressed his lips thin but accepted the cup regardless. “Thanks,” he said, his voice a quiet grunt. Yamaguchi still lay next to him, unmoving.

Suga sat down on the edge of the bed, casting a concerned glance over at the recruiter. Tsukishima didn’t know how much time had passed since he began sitting here, dependent on the food and drinks that Suga or Ennoshita came in to bring. It could’ve been a whole day since the fight, it could’ve only been a few hours. Either way, people continuously peeked in to check on their unconscious friend and Tsukishima could do nothing but tighten his grip on Yamaguchi’s hand and hope for the best.

“Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” Suga asked, looking at Tsukishima with searching eyes. “We still haven’t taken a look at you and we’re just worried…”

“I’m alright, Suga, thanks,” Tsukishima said with a sigh, giving the same answer as he always did whenever Daichi or someone came in, trying to persuade him to leave the room. He didn’t _want_ to leave the room. He didn’t want to possibly miss a chance that Yamaguchi could wake up without him, Tsukishima’s face not being the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes. “How long has it been? Where’s Kageyama?”

The swordsmaster shrugged. “Only a day. You haven’t missed much. Everyone is just resting, trying to regain their strength and Kageyama is still here, waiting for you.”

“Waiting for me?”

Suga nodded. “He’s also worried about you two. He’s alright and Hinata has been keeping him company, but he’s always asking how you two are doing. I think he’s poked his head in here once or twice while you were asleep.”

Struck by the oddness of that action, Tsukishima didn’t really know what to say so he simply looked back down at Yamaguchi, reaching out to brush some hair from his face. He didn’t care that Suga was there, watching. “And my brother?”

“Still alive. You’re all going to make it, Tsukishima. I’m sure of it, we all are.”

The mortal’s hand tightened a bit around Yamaguchi’s. “But it’s been, what, a day…” he muttered, seeking for any sign of _anything_ on Yamaguchi’s face. There was nothing but peaceful unconsciousness. Tsukishima briefly wondered if he was dreaming. “You said that spirits healed fast…” They did, he knew. All the hits and bruises that Yamaguchi earned while training always healed within minutes. It forced Tsukishima to try and avoid hits as best as possible to keep up with the recruiters’ health, a very helpful trait when fighting spectres.

But he didn’t know how fatal wounds worked with spirits. Suga sighed quietly, beginning to talk. It was the most someone had said to him since they got back, really. Tsukishima figured that everyone in the Center settled that he capable of holding a conversation now, rather than simply staring at Yamaguchi in shock.

“Spirits don’t get sent to the afterlife easily and we _do_ heal fast, you’re correct. But when we are dealt critical damage and left with injuries that, for a mortal would be fatal, our bodies make a sort of…decision.”

_A decision?_

Suga went on after seeing the confusion on his face. He spoke carefully, as if trying to find the right words. “Damned spirits are forced to roam for eternity but with that comes our speed, strength and health. If we push those to the limits, it’s like testing the ‘gifts’ we were given in compensation to our ‘lives’ here.”

“Compensation for _damning_ you?” Tsukishima said cynically. “I feel like there’s nothing that could ever measure up.”

“There isn’t,” Suga said with a soft laugh, looking a bit sheepish. “You’re right. But we take what we can get. Eternal roaming along with nearly-indestructible bodies is as close as the gods can get to saying ‘sorry.’”

For the first time in a while, Tsukishima cracked the ghost of a smile. Suga was far more interesting to talk to than most people gave him credit for. A sharp tongue to match his sharp skill was what Tsukishima mentally labeled him as. He had to give it to the swordsmaster, being able to keep such a calm composure throughout all of this was a task that even Tsukishima had trouble doing. Not only was Suga supposed to be the strongest warrior amongst them all but he was also their caretaker, their steady head and their reassurance.

“So what happens during this ‘decision’?” Tsukishima asked warily, glancing over at Yamaguchi. _What was going on in his head right now? Was it like a judgmental phase?_

Suga flattened a hand on the bedsheets. “The spiritual body has to choose whether or not it’s being useful. The only proven way we can truly move on to the afterlife is if we turn into a spectre and are killed. But when we receive a hit that leaves the us immobilized, there is a possibility that we could lose our tangible form.” Suga shrugged. “Because what use is an incapacitated spirit?”

Tsukishima felt the worry in his chest increase tenfold as he straightened up, staring at Suga. “Lose his form? What-“

“It means that we lose our form,” Suga said steadily. “Our spiritual essence gets released back into the world and the bodies we take on now disappear. Where we go, I’m not sure…perhaps the afterlife.”

“Are you telling me Yamaguchi’s going to-“

“No,” Suga said, and held up a hand. Tsukishima promptly stopped talking, not wanting to be interrupted for the third time and also not wanting Suga to have to do it. “I’m just saying that that’s what is happening. Personally, I don’t think he’ll lose his form.”

The mortal absently stroked the recruiter’s hand with his thumb. “Why?” He asked.

“Because he’s too important,” Suga said simply and Tsukishima glanced at him sharply.

“I know he is,” he said, “But no way his mind can just factor in something like that.”

The swordsmaster shook his head, looking quite serious. “No, I mean it. He’s important, his body is important and his mind knows it. He has…a power,” Suga said, looking at Yamaguchi with pride in his eyes. Tsukishima would’ve assumed it to be interest, intrigue or maybe even a hunger for dominance but no…All Suga did was speak with pride. “He has a power that makes him more than he ever thought he was. That’s enough for anyone to acknowledge that he’s important.”

“He saved me,” Tsukishima said, trying to hide the wonder in his voice but failing. “I don’t even know how he did it, but he did. I…I was a _spectre_.”

“And now you’re not,” Suga pointed out. “And neither do you have a spiritual essence.”

“ _What?_ ”

Tsukishima quickly looked down at their joint hands and as if on instinct, he immediately let go. But Suga didn’t look particularly worried and instead gestured at the cuff that was still safely on Yamaguchi’s wrist. “Check that, will you?”

Hesitantly, Tsukishima slid it upwards, letting out a sharp intake of breath when he saw that the skin underneath was uncoloured and fine, completely back to normal. He released the cuff abruptly, looking at Suga with fear in his eyes. “I- what does that mean? Should I not-“

“You’re fine,” Suga said in such a reassuring voice that Tsukishima couldn’t help but believe him immediately. His shoulders sagged and his hand automatically reached for Yamaguchi’s. “When Yamaguchi saved you, he _saved_ you. He cleansed you of everything. A pleasant surprise that we found out, however, is that he also gave you the ability to touch,” Suga’s eyes flicked towards their hands, “without having to go through the bond drama again. Almost like he gave you a sort of immunity.”

Slightly overwhelmed by the sudden onslaught of new and very important information, Tsukishima stared at Yamaguchi in a new light. “He’s strong,” he said quietly, and Suga nodded his head. “I…he never believed any of us…”

“Because his strength came from different places. He saves with his hands, just like how he did before, not with a weapon. We should have realized sooner…”

Tsukishima looked up, shaking his head. “He’d just tell you that it was worth it. It’s not your fault.”

He received a warm smile in return. “Thank you, Tsukishima. I’m just relieved. He’s found his strength and he’ll be alright. That’s all I could truly ask for.”

“How did you know?” Tsukishima asked curiously. Suga looked at him with a confused expression. “How’d you know that I was completely… ‘saved,’ or whatever.” Truthfully, Tsukishima hadn’t even touched the bond since Yamaguchi had gotten hurt. Or at least, he hadn’t tried. He was so caught up in trying to keep himself and the others safe that it hadn’t even bothered to cross his mind whether or not he could feel Yamaguchi on the other side of the bond. Even once they were back in the Center, the only thing he could focus on was whether or not Yamaguchi would wake up. Tsukishima assumed that there was no point in trying to emotionally reach out to an unconscious person.

“Kageyama and Hinata,” Suga said simply and Tsukishima heard the hint of a smile in his words. Looking over, he realized that the swordsmaster was indeed smiling.

Letting out a quiet ‘tch’ and a roll of his eyes, he leaned back slightly against the bedframe. “What did they do this time?”

Suga chuckled quietly. “Well, meeting Kageyama was much easier than expected, seeing as apparently he knew all of us already. I suspect that was all Hinata’s doing. Kageyama wasn’t surprised to see us at all.”

“And their bond?”

“Their _bond_ ,” Suga breathed, shoulders rising before falling, “Is no longer a thing either. It was cured when Yamaguchi touched him, so that was before any of us could see it. But I assume it was like yours. Kageyama took the knowledge of it surprisingly well.” 

Tsukishima shrugged. “Not surprised. How is he?” _Why am I asking about Kageyama’s wellbeing?_

“He’s doing well, both are. Very attached. No surprisingly so.”

Unable to help himself, Tsukishima raised a brow in curiosity. “Oh?”

Suga shot him an easy, playful smile. “Don’t look at me like that; we can say the same thing about you and Yamaguchi.”

Tsukishima flushed slightly, looking away with a slight scowl that dissipated the moment his eyes landed on Yamaguchi again. It really _wasn’t_ a surprise to find that he grew quite attached to this spirit in such a time like this. Even more so when he realized that Yamaguchi was attached in return.

He should probably stop thinking like that, actually.

Tsukishima _liked_ Yamaguchi.

And Yamaguchi liked him back too.

Just the thought was enough to soothe his worry and his expression must’ve turned a kind of way because it had Suga standing up, pressing a brief hand to Tsukishima’s leg. “I’ll see you two later, alright? Come out for food eventually. Everyone wants to check up on you.”

Giving an affirmative grunt in reply, Tsukishima watched Suga leave before turning back to the recruiter on the bed. Leaning in, he pressed his mouth against Yamaguchi’s warm forehead, relishing in the fact that Yamaguchi was _important_ and he was certain his body knew it. He’d wake up. Tsukishima knew it.

_I love you_ , the mortal thought, the sentence appearing in his mind so easily that it didn’t even surprise him. It didn’t come in a bang like the characters in his stories. It didn’t make him feel as if the world was tilting on its axis, about to throw Tsukishima off balance. No, it was simply as if the thought had been there the whole time, waiting patiently for Tsukishima to look at it and acknowledge its existence. And once Tsukishima did, it was as if nothing had changed in the world except for one thing. Tsukishima loved Yamaguchi.

_Wake up for me_ , he silently wished, _and I’ll let you know._

\--------------------

_Maybe if I close my eyes, he’ll be back to normal._

“Maybe if you don’t, you’ll see that this _is_ normal.”

“I- what?”

Hinata rolled his eyes. “You’re talking out loud.”

Kageyama didn’t really know _what_ he was doing to be quite honest. He was sitting on the back porch of this Recruitment Center, alive (which was the biggest question of all) and staring at Hinata who looked…alarmingly human. Gone were the blue wisps and the half-transparency of the man in front of him and gone was the grotesque spectre version of him as well. _That_ was something he was still trying to register. Hinata looked like pure flesh and blood and Kageyama could never imagine that his hair could be _that_ orange. But it was. And it was astounding.

When they got back to the center, half-conscious and in pain, Hinata rebounded pretty quick while Kageyama was still taking his time trying to walk everywhere. Luckily, everyone else understood and gave him the space he needed. A few of them had still yet to even talk to him, probably figuring that it was best for Kageyama to mentally sort out his situation before bombarding him with…anything, really.

But aside and Daichi and Suga (who were very much like the way Hinata had described them to him) who gave him a quick welcome and check over, the only other spirit to come up to him was Hinata’s ‘Nishinoya,’ a shorter spirit but with a louder personality.

Nishinoya had shoved something in Kageyama’s hand, telling him that it was ‘something that would help,’ and as soon as the mortal’s hand closed over the cool item in his hand, he was immediately jolted when the world practically morphed around him.

So now he was here, trying to get used to the fact that _spirits_ didn’t really look like _spirits_ while he was wearing this bracelet. Nevertheless, it was really nice looking at Hinata as if he were a real, solid person.

“It’s just…you look…”

Hinata smirked. “Fantastic? Radiant? Happy, healthy, ready to roll?”

“Tangible, was what I was going for.”

All the recruiter did was chuckle a bit. “Not like I wasn’t before.”

Kageyama looked down at the bracelet, running his fingers over the star pattern that was embedded in the black surface. This was another piece of the spirit world that was introduced to him, another sneak peek into something so much bigger than him that he couldn’t have even imagined it if Kageyama hadn’t seen the proof with his very own eyes.

“How does this work?” He asked, genuinely intrigued, watching Hinata scoot over from his spot on the porch. He thumbed the stone.

The recruiter then did what was apparently also ‘very normal’ too and proceeded to slump against Kageyama, the mop of orange hair colliding with the mortal’s arm and nestling in until he was comfortable. Kageyama stared for a moment, trying to figure out what that meant, but didn’t say a word.

“It’s dipped in diluted reaping fluid,” Hinata explained, as if completely unaware that he had burrowed his way half-into Kageyama’s arms. The intern wasn’t sure if this was _normal_ -normal for Hinata or if this was just him compensating for the fact that they spent so long together but with bars just blocking those last few inches. “So that when it touches you, you don’t get sent straight to the afterlife. It just masks your mortality, really. And makes _us_ look normal.”

“Huh,” Kageyama replied, nodding, as if he hadn’t just blindly trusted this one object that was diluted _just enough_ to keep him from completely dying. “Tsukishima has this too?”

“Yup. But this whole mess started because someone broke it in the middle of a festival,” Hinata explained. “Everyone saw he was a mortal and then word spread and somehow got to the _Wraith_ and then a lot of things happened but now here we are!”

Hinata sounded way too casual for any of that recount but Kageyama could only swivel his head to look at him in shock due to one thing. “You’re way too calm about this.”

The recruiter simply shrugged. “Yeah, well, centuries of being _actually_ dead kind of numbs the ‘near death’ experiences.”

Kageyama couldn’t really argue with that.

The sliding door to the porch opened and the two looked up, Kageyama naturally tensing because of their position and Hinata simply lolling his head to look over. It was Suga, Ennoshita’s face just visible behind him as well. “Mind if we join you two?” The swordsmaster asked with a polite smile.

Suga was nice, a very comforting presence to be around after the shit storm that was the battle in The Shade. He never seemed to panic, never looked like he was going to lose his mind despite checking up all of his recruiters and having to deal with an unconscious Yamaguchi. Kageyama envied his mental strength while he was over here, still silently freaking out over the fact that Hinata even _felt_ like a regular person.

“Sure,” the recruiter said as Suga and Ennoshita stepped out, sitting down. They both look wearied, but who didn’t?

“How are you, Kageyama?” Suga asked first, looking up at him. Aside from the initial look-over to make sure he truly _was_ back to being a mortal, Suga had sent him immediately off to bed where Kageyama had spent a good majority of his first time at Karasuno asleep. He wasn’t exactly sure how extensive the ‘check ups’ would be afterwards but so far, it wasn’t much.

“Tired,” Kageyama answered truthfully, ignoring the warm lump of recruiter that was still attached to his side. Hinata made no point to move so neither did Kageyama, and Suga and Ennoshita didn’t look surprised whatsoever when they came out. “But I feel alright. Thanks for this.” He held up the bracelet that Nishinoya had handed to him.

Suga smiled. “You’re welcome. I know this is belated, but welcome to the Karasuno Recruitment Center. Everyone here is glad you’re alright.”

_Are they?_ He thought, and his thoughts must’ve somehow conveyed somewhere because Hinata pressed up closer to him. “Thanks,” he said instead. “Thanks for taking me in.”

The silent observer, Ennoshita, finally spoke up with a bemused expression on his face. “Are you wondering why you’re even here? Why we didn’t do something rash like force you to stay silent about the spirit world and kick you back to the street?”

Kageyama blinked because…well, Ennoshita wasn’t really wrong. Of course, _Tsukishima_ was still here and everything but Kageyama didn’t have a life here like the other man did. He didn’t have a long-founded relationship with every person here, every spirit that accepted him as a mortal and even taught him how to fight. He didn’t have an emotional connection either, a ‘Yamaguchi’ to hold him down. Well, not really. “I, uh. Yeah?”

Ennoshita shook his head. “We would’ve taken you in regardless of what you were. I’m sure Hinata’s told you what this center is about. We save souls. We also advocate in the comfortability of each person, regardless of spirit or mortal.”

The intern had the vaguest feeling that he was being given the elevator speech for the Karasuno Recruitment Company. Apparently, Suga was having the same idea because he swatted at Ennoshita’s shoulder, making the other man chuckle and change topics. “The point is that you’re more than welcome to be here, just as Tsukishima is. You’re also welcome to come visit any time, granted you want to.”

“Here?” Kageyama said, a bit dumbfounded. “I can just… _visit_?” Without thinking, he glanced down at Hinata who looked far too comfortable plastered against his side, playing with the zipper on Kageyama’s sweater and fascinated by its function.

Suga nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Of course. We’re not hard to find. Just walk straight in the forest until you find the station, ask for Karasuno and it’ll bring you straight here. You can’t miss it.”

“Station?”

Hinata looked up, nodding quickly. “Yup! Big station in the middle of the forest; it’s got a big ‘Moonlight Station’ sign on it. That’s the forest station.”

Kageyama understood probably…part of that. He nodded anyway. “Sounds good. You’ll just…have to show me, I guess.”

“Will do!” The spirit crowed.

“So are you planning on staying until Tsukishima’s good to go?” Suga asked the mortal, pulling his attention away from the smaller spirit.

He nodded. “Yeah, that’s the plan. We’ve been gone for long, we’ll probably need to come up with excuses for work…Also, I don’t want him to have to take care of Akiteru by himself, when he wakes up.”

“Ah, right. His brother.” Ennoshita glanced at Suga. “We have a plan for that, by the way.”

“Oh?” Kageyama said.

“If you want to ensure that Akiteru doesn’t come across any proof of this world,” Ennoshita explained, “You might have to wait a bit until Yamaguchi is ready enough to move. We’re thinking that he’ll accompany you to the edge of the forest and just before you leave, he’ll heal your brother. That way, you can tell him whatever you’d like rather than waking up in the middle of a spirit center. Would that work for you?”

The intern thought it over, seeing no actual faults in the plan. He assumed that Tsukishima had no interest in showing Akiteru this new world. Knowing the older man, he’d probably short circuit and freak out. Pulling up some bullshit to feed Akiteru would probably be the best, even if it was going to be hard trying to explain a week-long disappearance.

In fact, explaining a no-notification, week-long disappearance to not only Akiteru but to their _bosses_ was going to be a bit of an issue…

But they’d burn that bridge later.

“Yeah, that should be fine,” Kageyama said, hoping that Tsukishima would agree with the plan as well. It was the best option so far. “Did you let him know?”

“Not yet,” Suga explained. “He’s still in Yamaguchi’s room and I haven’t had the chance to tell him.”

Yamaguchi. The one spirit that saved them all, that saved _Kageyama_. He had apparently gone after him and if it hadn’t been for Tsukishima himself, jumping in the way, there was a possibility that Yamaguchi could’ve been gone. Maybe. Actually, probably not. Kageyama didn’t trust his own fighting skills that much whatsoever.

Either way, Yamaguchi Tadashi was the reason he was still a living, breathing person to this day and he had yet to properly meet the guy before he was torn apart by the spirit at his side. Who, by the way, was surprisingly calm after the initial shock. But Kageyama had a feeling that he was silently dying on the inside. He hadn’t necessarily seen the damage that Hinata had done but if Tsukishima refused to even leave the man’s side, Kageyama could assume that it was a lot.

Subconsciously, he took Hinata’s hand and squeezed. “Do you want us to go talk to him? Maybe take him out for a breather or something?”

Suga glanced at Ennoshita at the offer and the two shared a nonverbal conversation that lasted probably two seconds before the swordsmaster shrugged, turning back to him. “That would be really good for him, I believe. Were you thinking of going to Yokohama? We might have to accompany you there, then. Daichi and I were planning on doing a bit of damage control.”

“Damage control?” Kageyama repeated, watching the two other spirits stand up.

Hinata popped to his feet as well, dragging Kageyama to his feet. “Yup! The last time we were there, Tsukishima made a huge mess at the festival by being exposed as a mortal. If he comes back, he might get hurt, so Suga and Daichi are probably just going to go and smoothen out the situation.”

All of that information went over his head except for one thing. He blinked, expression open. “Wait… _festival_?”

All the spirits nodded. “Yeah, Fire and Forest. There was also Dragon Night that I told you about.”

Kageyama barely recalled when Hinata was telling him about ‘festivals’ and he blamed his lack of memory on the fact that they were prisoners during the time. Now, he was gaping. “Wait, so _everything_ Tsukishima said was true, then? That you guys had huge festivals and everything?”

Hinata stared at him for a bit before a slightly bemused expression crossed his face. “Kageyama, of all the things you could be doubtful of here and it’s the _festivals_ you didn’t believe in?”

The mortal wrung his hands. “I don’t trust half the shit Tsukishima tells me! Plus, I think we were drunk!”

Across from him, all the spirits laughed.

\-----------------

Surprisingly, it wasn’t too hard urging Tsukishima out of Yamaguchi’s room. The few days being holed up in the dark room while the spirit was recuperating must’ve taken its toll on the mortal because as soon as Kageyama told him he wanted to visit Yokohama Street, the writer was standing up and nodding.

Yamaguchi, looking frail and freckled, lay silent on the bed. The only movement was the gradual rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. _Thanks,_ Kageyama thought, hoping that Yamaguchi would wake up soon so that he could say it to his face.

“So, you _weren’t_ lying when you told me about the festivals,” Kageyama pointed out as Tsukishima followed him into the hall. The writer blinked for a moment, the sudden burst of light probably messing with his vision.

“I don’t lie,” Tsukishima responded flatly, rubbing his eyes underneath his glasses.

Unable to help himself, the intern let out a snort of disbelief, ignoring the miffed look that Tsukishima sent his way. “Right. Anyway, what’s at this street? Hinata told me some but,” he shrugged. He was mainly trying to get Tsukishima talking. It was hard enough dealing with the stoic man at work where they’d rather die than share a civil conversation with each other but he knew that Tsukishima needed a distraction.

“Shops,” Tsukishima shrugged as they walked towards the entrance. “Food. You got a bracelet.”

Kageyama glanced over to see Tsukishima looking down at his wrist. He subconsciously rubbed at it. “Yeah, Nishinoya gave it to me. Everything looks normal now.”

“Good,” Tsukishima murmured and Kageyama glanced at him in slight alarm. Just hearing the other man talk like that in his presence was unnerving enough on its own. It was so uncharacteristic of the writer that Kageyema felt the urge to beg for him just to be an ass again.

“U-Uh, yeah. It’s better.”

They arrived near the entrance to a small group of people. All of the recruiters were off to the side, checking the weapons at their sides sans for Hinata, who was standing eagerly by the door. Daichi and Suga were talking to Ennoshita and when Kageyama and Tsukishima walked in, everybody looked up.        

“Tsukishima!” Saeko was the first to call out his name, looking at him with a bright smile. Kageyama could feel the writer tense next to him. “Glad you’re out and about! Ready for a day trip? Just remember, if anyone gives you shit, you know how to fight.” She winked.

“Where are you guys going?” Tsukishima asked, watching them gear up. They looked a bit apprehensive but far more energized after taking time to rest.

“We’re clearing the forest,” Tanaka explained, shooting them a thumbs up. “Finding the last of the spectres and,” he made a cutting motion at his throat. Kageyama shivered at the thought of them almost killing _him_ if it hadn’t been for Hinata.

Furrowing his brows, the intern spoke. “You’re going back to The Shade?”

“Yeah, but the Wraith is dead,” Tanaka said with a shrug. “We can handle the spectres just fine.”

Kageyama looked over at Suga in alarm, wondering what he’d have to say to that, but the swordsmaster was nodding. “Don’t worry Kageyama,” the silver-haired man said, reading the silent question clearly. “Tanaka’s kidding. They’re actually going to be rounding them up and keeping them in a safe place for when Yamaguchi wakes up.”          

Tsukishima was the one to speak at that, faint surprise colouring his voice. “You’re going to…?”

“Save them, that’s right!” Tanaka said, looking a bit sheepish after his original joke didn’t really go through.

“Huh,” Tsukishima muttered, before nodding. “Cool.”

“But _we’re_ headed to Yokohama,” Daichi then said, gesturing for people to start walking out the front doors. Kageyama fell in line behind Hinata who was already slipping out. “Shops to talk to, rumours to fix, important things like that. Let’s go, everyone!”

The group heading to the Shade was the first to board the trolley, shuttling off with nothing more than a quick wave in goodbye. Kageyama trusted that if they could fight spectres without getting touched, they could at least round them up pretty easily as well. Soon, he was on the spirit trolley, traveling at the speed of…who knows, really. He was too busy watching Hinata out of the corner of his eye to focus on anything else. Daichi and Suga were talking about god knows what and Tsukishima was sitting around, brooding as usual.

“So this is Yokohama, huh,” He said casually, trying to urge Hinata into speaking once they got off the trolley. Everything looked fantastic but it was a bit watered down without Hinata’s loud commentary. That, and a lot of the spirits were turning their heads once Tsukishima stepped out into the street, whispers immediately flooding the street. Instinctively, he shied away from _that_ whole dilemma.

“Yuuuuup,” Hinata said, the façade of ‘everything’s good’ easily seen right through. The recruiter gave a vague wave of his hand. “Best food, shops and entertainment in all of the spirit world! People come from all over and this is where spirits show up when they die. Easy to find, easy to enjoy, kind of hard to navigate. It’s – what?”

The spirit stopped when Kageyama grabbed his arm and pulled him away to the side a little. Daichi and Suga had started up a quick public announcement about a festival that Kageyama didn’t know about and had dragged Tsukishima into it, talking to a small crowd. Kageyama used this chance to talk to the recruiter privately.

“Are you okay?”

Hinata blinked rapidly, his eyes glancing around, looking anywhere but Kageyama until the intern shook him, forcing their gazes to meet. “I’m fine, Kageyama, what are you even talking about?”

“I’m talking about what happened earlier-“

“ _What_ happened earlier?”

“The Yamaguchi thing.”

Kageyama was never really known to be great at being subtle. He was fully aware he took ‘straight to the point’ to a whole new level.

Hinata immediately tensed, looking down and away from Kageyama’s probing eyes. He didn’t release the spirit’s arm, however, keeping him there in case Hinata did something stupid such as run off and leave him to fend for himself in this foreign street.

“I’m fine,” Hinata said, though his voice betrayed his true feelings. “I feel bad. I’m going to make up for it as much as possible when he wakes up.” He attempted to tug his arm away. “That’s it.”

_I don’t believe you for a second_. “It’s not your fault-“

“I _know_ it’s not,” Hinata automatically snapped, yanking his arm away successfully this time, glaring up at Kageyama under orange strands of hair. His eyes were just as fierce as his words. “I was a spectre, I _know_.” He dropped his gaze. “I know.”

They stood silently for a moment, amidst the bustling street full of spirits. Some people glanced at Hinata curiously, a familiar face, but the recruiter didn’t say anything else.

“Alright,” Kageyama settled, shoving his hands back into his pockets. “Just know that…” He bit the inside of his cheek, figuring out how to phrase it. “Even though we’re not in the cave anymore…” He say Hinata look up in confusion. “You can, and should, still talk to me. About…whatever.”

He was faced with wide eyes and an open expression that he couldn’t really maintain. Kageyama looked away, fighting the idiotic flush that threatened to overcome his face again. When he felt a slight tug, he turned to look at Hinata who had taken a hold of his sleeve shyly.

“Thanks,” the spirit said after a pause. “I…thank you. I feel bad, _horrible_ , really…I don’t know how to make it up to him.”

“He’ll understand, though.” _What am I doing, promising that I’m a go-to person with issues when I don’t even know what to say?_ Yet he tried, for Hinata’s sake, to put reassuring sentences together. “You did nothing wrong. He was trying to save you.”

“And I _hurt_ him in the process, and not just slight hurt. I forced his spirit to make a decision.”

Kageyama cocked his head in confusion.

“His body has to decide whether or not he ‘lives’ or ‘dies.’ It’s what happens when a spirit gets mortally wounded and I can’t believe…” Hinata ran his fingers through his hair in an irritated movement. “I can’t believe that I forced this on him.”

The intern reached out, pressing a hand on Hinata’s shoulder. “It’s not your fault,” he said lamely, unsure what else to say. It truly wasn’t Hinata’s fault. If anything, it was all the Wraith’s and at least he was dead now. If he _really_ wanted to trace the blame back, it was technically _Tsukishima’s_ fault for even involving himself and Kageyama in the spirit world…but he didn’t really want to blame Tsukishima.

“I know,” Hinata said with a sigh, nodding. “Just trying to accept that I guess.”

“He’s going to wake up,” Kageyama said confidently. “That’s what Suga told me.”

The recruiter gave him a small smile. “Yeah, yeah I know…It’s just been so long so, you know, _kinda anxious over here._ Because what if he doesn’t? What if he doesn’t wake up and not only am I never going to say sorry, but _Tsukishima’s_ gonna hate me and-“ He silenced abruptly when Kageyama grabbed him and yanked him forward, pulling him into an embrace.

“You really need to stop talking. He’ll be fine. But you also need to be fine.”

There was silence between them for a moment, probably Hinata registering the fact that Kageyama had hugged him first, and was hugging him quite tightly at that. Slowly, his smaller arms came up to wrap around the mortal in return, clenching his clothes underneath his fingers.

“Yeah,” Hinata breathed, face buried in Kageyama’s chest. He relished in the warmth that the spirit gave him. “Yeah. You’re right. I’ll be fine.”

They hugged like that for a few seconds, ignoring the spirits that were for sure staring at them now, and pulled apart only when they heard the telltale ‘tch’ of Tsukishima up close.

“Either get a room or stop suffocating the street with your sap,” came the drawl and Kageyama forced the embarrassment down. From what everyone told him, he was sure that Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were _far_ worse.

“You shouldn’t be talking,” Hinata retaliated immediately, sharing Kageyama’s thoughts, with a smirk on his lips. “It’s not like we’re suffocating the _Center_ with all our ‘Yamaguchiiiii and Tsukki, Tsukki’- _gah_!”

He was cut off when Tsukishima whacked him upside the head, eyes narrowed and a faint pink on his cheeks. Kageyama wished he had his phone to take a picture of this once-in-a-lifetime event of seeing Tsukishima blush. Unable to help himself, he snickered, looking away nonchalantly when Tsukishima turned the glare on him.

“ _Anyway_ ,” the writer said in a miffed tone, “I’m going to go-“

“Nooope,” Hinata butted in immediately, grabbing Tsukishima’s arm much to his distaste. “We’re here to keep you busy and occupied! We don’t trust you going off on your own, right Kageyama?”

“Uh-“

“Exactly! So you have to stick by us and we’ll do some fun things and maybe we’ll even see some spirits from Nekoma! You have no right to refuse, Tsukishima!”

The glower on the writer’s face had morphed into one of absolute reluctance and irritation but all he did was exhale and look away. “Whatever.”

“Good!” Hinata crowed, releasing him and stepping back to punch a fist in the air. Kageyama wished he could share the enthusiasm, but people were _really_ staring now.

“What were Daichi and Suga telling everyone?” He asked Tsukishima, watching his brows knit.

“Nothing much,” Tsukishima responded, eyes still trained vaguely down the street, obviously not wanting to engage in conversation with him too much. “Clearing up my name. Explaining that I’m not susceptible to turning into a spectre. Introducing you and I as mortals.”

Kageyama jerked, glancing around quickly. “They know I’m a mortal? But the bracelet-“ He touched the band on his wrist.

“It’s more for our benefit than theirs,” Tsukishima explained, glancing at him. “Would you rather see them like people or like ghosts?”

The question was easy to answer and possibly rhetorical so Kageyama simply nodded in understanding. “Right. Well, am I going to get shit now for stuff you did?”

“Tsukishima didn’t do anything,” Hinata said, defending him. “But even if you guys did, you should just ignore it. They’re not going to do anything to you unless you run into Edgesiders, but I think they got spooked because of the Wraith.”

“Edgesiders…?”

“Douchebags.” Tsukishima’s voice was flat.

“Gotcha.”

The tenseness seemed to radiate from Tsukishima at the mention of the Edgesiders that Kageyama took it upon himself to start walking, Hinata immediately following. They just needed to start moving and then hopefully things would smoothen themselves out.

“So where are we going to first?” Kageyama asked, glancing around at the street. Aside from the blatant stares he was receiving and the occasional ‘accidental bump’ from brave spirits who were probably testing whether or not _he_ would turn into a spectre as well, Yokohama Street was beautiful. He had been to festivals and traditional towns enough that Yokohama wasn’t a total shock to him, but he still appreciated its beauty. Knowing that there was this whole separate world living in both the past and present was fascinating.

“Foooood,” Hinata said, not surprisingly. He urged their small group in the direction of a restaurant with its doors flung open and Kageyama could smell _perfection_ radiating from inside. “You’ve also gotta meet Ukai!”

They stepped into the restaurant, into a huge and bustling crowd, and Kageyama was shocked to see that just like mortals now, spirits thoroughly enjoyed their food. “Who’s Ukai?” He asked, only to be answered in a split second.

“I’m Ukai,” came a gruff but eager-sounding voice. The intern looked over to see a man with two-toned hair held back by a single band walking over towards them. “And this is my restaurant. Didn’t think I’d see you again, Tsukishima!” He spoke loudly, slapping the writer on the shoulder with a laugh.    

Tsukishima attempted to give a small huff in return. “Yeah…I’m sorry for before, but I’m also grateful. Thank you.”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry,” Ukai said, waving his hand before pulling the cigarette from his mouth. “It was for a good cause, I get it. Daichi and Suga just passed through, are you guys all good? Sorry to hear about Yamaguchi.”

The writer gave a one-shouldered shrug. “I’m okay. He’ll wake up. We’re just waiting.”

Ukai nodded as if that answered completely satisfied him. “He’s a strong guy, I don’t doubt it for an instant.” His eyes then swept the group, landing on Kageyama. “And who’re you? Another newly dead or Tsukishima’s friend?”

Very tempted to say ‘neither,’ Kageyama simply stuck his hand out in courtesy for a shake. “I’m Kageyama,” he introduced. “I’m a mortal but was kind of dragged into this shitstorm by accident.”

The restaurant owner laughed, throwing his head back a bit. “Oh, I see! You’re that second mortal Suga brought up. Jeez, this place is changing by the day. Mortals and spirits…wild. Remember when the animal patrons showed up, Hinata?” Ukai shook his head. “But welcome to Yokohama Street. If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Kageyama bowed his head gratefully, hearing more laughter and statements about ‘polite people’ and ‘never see that these days anymore.’ Ukai patted his shoulder once more before speaking to Hinata. “I can grab food for you guys, leave it to me.” He jerked his head towards the back. “Lev and his god damn deer is with him, by the way.”

At the mention of ‘Lev,’ Kageyama watched in fascination as his two companions’ facial expression both dropped to polar ends. Hinata looked ecstatic and immediately jumped up to look over Ukai’s shoulder. He must’ve seen this ‘Lev’ because he began frantically waving. “Lev! Lev and Yaku! Hello!”

As for Tsukishima, his face had taken on a slightly-panicked, very reluctant expression. He had barely glanced over at the far table where there was in fact a deer, standing by the sitting spirits. Kageyama wasn’t sure what was weirder, seeing an animal in a restaurant or seeing all of Tsukishima’s hidden emotions in just a few days.

_This is fucking weird_ , Kageyama thought as Hinata led the way to the table in the back. _Tsukishima shows zero emotions at work and no one can read him except for_ maybe _Akaashi on a good day but over here he’s like a fucking book._ Without meaning to, and mostly on instinct, headlines popped into mind as he stared at the back of Tsukishima’s head as they walked. **STOIC MAN IS A FUCKING LIAR** was his first idea but he waved it away knowing that Kuroo would just hit him on the head for writing that.

They reached the table and were met with two wary smiles, one belonging to a tree and the other to one significantly shorter than even Kageyama. Both of them had their eyes trained on Tsukishima and the taller one reached out to place a hand on the deer’s flank. “Hey you guys,” the shorter spirit said, eyes flicking between Tsukishima and Hinata, barely glancing at him. “Heard what happened. You okay?”

“Yeah, thanks,” Hinata replied breezily, throwing himself into a seat. Kageyama took a careful seat next to him while Tsukishima slumped on the other side.

“So, you really _are_ a mortal,” was the next blunt statement, the tall spirit said, staring straight at Tsukishima. “Juju wasn’t lying when she said you looked like one, huh.”

The writer rolled his neck, trying to act nonchalant, but the whiteness of his knuckles under the table was a dead giveaway. “Yeah, guess she’s not so stupid at all.”      

“Haha…” the spirit said a bit uneasily, leaning back into his chair as his hand stroked the deer, Juju’s, flank.

Silence fell on the table, awkward and heavy, and Kageyama didn’t know where to look. Looking at the two spirits in front of him seemed like a bad idea, mainly because they already seemed so cautious about Tsukishima being a mortal. Kageyama had no clue who they were or what his coworker’s connections with them were, but he certainly didn’t want to make things worse. Staring at the deer felt rude, watching Tsukishima felt straight up weird and turning his head completely to just openly gaze at Hinata felt too obvious. He settled on tracing the wood lines on the table with his eyes.

The taller spirit turned to murmur quietly to his dear, the shorter spirit poked at the food in front of him, Hinata messed with his fingers and Tsukishima was broodily staring off in the distance. Kageyama almost felt like he _had_ to say something at this point.

But when the silence became absolutely unbearable and it was apparent that all five were simply Done, the shorter spirit let out the biggest sigh and slumped back into his chair, raising his gaze. “Look, Tsukishima, you’re a cool guy. And we consider you our friend-“

“We do?”

“Lev, shut up. We do. And just because you’re a mortal doesn’t mean anything, in fact, it shouldn’t. We were just shocked and really, a bit scared. You’re a mortal, we’re spirits, this is a spirit _world_ , you get the idea.”

Kageyama watched Tsukishima silently look at the other spirit, listening with a blank expression.

“But Daichi just _assured_ us that you can’t turn into a spectre anymore…I don’t want to know what that ‘anymore’ really means, but I’m going to take his words to heart. If you’re not here to fuck with our world then that’s all that really matters, right?”

There was a pause before “Of course, Yaku. I’m sorry for terrorizing the town with my presence.”

Finally, a smile cracked on the opposite spirits’ faces. Yaku chuckled a bit. “I don’t know if that’s sarcasm and I should punch you for that but I accept your apology and I’m sorry myself. I’m also glad you guys are safe; Suga told us about the Wraith.”

Almost like a light switch, Lev’s hesitant expression quickly turned into one of absolute fascination. He leaned forward on the table. “I heard Yamaguchi _killed_ him! Is that right? Did he really? Wow!”

He reminded Kageyama of Hinata almost, especially with the way the smaller recruiter seemed to just jump up immediately, ready to explain the battle in complete detail. But before he could, Yaku was pointing a finger in Kageyama’s direction. For a split second, panic filled him.

“Wait, wait, who’s this? You can’t just bring someone in and not introduce them, Shouyou.”

Hinata turned his head to look at Kageyama with wide eyes and if they had been alone, the intern would’ve poked him in the forehead, chastising him for forgetting about him. Instead, he raised a brow and watched Hinata flush slightly in embarrassment. “Oh, sorry! This is Kageyama. He was there at the battle too!”

Lev’s ‘woooaahhh’ was cut off by Yaku’s ‘huh.’ “Is that so? New recruiter? Newly dead?” Large, calculating eyes seemed to scan him before Kageyama could even say anything. “No. Mortal?”

Kageyama swallowed. “How’d you know?”

He received a nonchalant shrug in return while Lev’s eyes continued to widen to the size of dinner plates. Kageyama pointedly avoided looking at the strange man. “A hunch. Karasuno’s had the weirdest past couple of months. At this point the least thing to expect coming from you guys is a normal spirit, you know?”

Hinata rolled his eyes, laughing, and even Tsukishima let out a faint snort. Kageyama provided a small smile of his own. “I’m not here to fuck with your world either.”

Yaku raised a brow at him. “Good. If you did, we’d throw you off the Edge.”

Lev gasped. “Yaku! We would _not_!”

“Try me.”

Hinata was cackling at his side and even Tsukishima was shooting him a smirk. The idea of being tossed off any edge was already alarming enough and this lack-of-explanation was going to give Kageyama heart issues, he swore. Jumping between having to deal with an emotional Hinata to an emotional _Tsukishima_ and then to two spirits who switched from being suspicious of mortals to not being suspicious _and then_ being threatened to get thrown off an edge… Kageyama figured he’d have more luck trying to survive college all over again than a day in the spirit world.

A warm sensation filled his hand and he glanced down. Hinata’s hand had sought out his own, gripping his fingers tightly. His gaze flicking up, he expected to see something like hesitation or maybe even a question in the spirit’s eyes but instead, all he was met with was joy. Hinata _liked_ having Kageyama around, and Kageyama liked being around Hinata too.

In fact, he liked being around _all_ of them, spirits and mortals alike. Even Tsukishima, sitting there with the faintest smile on his face as he watched Yaku and Lev bicker…they might never get over their differences but their exchanged words were not hard blows anymore. _I could do this_ , Kageyama thought suddenly. _I could definitely do something like this_.

As he tightened his fingers around Hinata’s and tried not to turn red when fingers laced through his moments after, he settled on a headline title.

**MEETING A SPIRIT: WHAT IT DOES FOR THE HEART.**

**\-------------**

They only stayed in Yokohama Street for a few hours because Daichi and Suga had come looking for them, excited expressions on their faces. Narita was right behind them and by the look on _his_ face, Tsukishima knew exactly what was going on.

Yamaguchi was awake.

He had practically run Kageyama over as he bolted out of the little shop, intent on getting to the trolley as soon as possible. He heard Suga laughing behind him but he couldn’t afford to feel embarrassed. Yamaguchi was _awake_.

Automatically, he reached for the bond, trying to see if they could connect, but he remembered last minute that it didn’t exist anymore. _Does he know that? Did he try and reach for me when he woke up and panic when he couldn’t feel me? Did anyone tell me? I’m coming, Yamaguchi, just wait._

The trolley ride was a blur of anxiety and Hinata chattering away to Daichi and Suga about their lunch date with Nekoma spirits. Tsukishima couldn’t pay attention to any of it. By the time they reached the Center, Tsukishima was out of the trolley and bolting inside, nearly running into Ennoshita.

“Tsukishima! Welcome back! Yamaguchi’s-“

“I know,” he said in a rush, speeding past him. He didn’t mean to be rude and he hoped the other spirit understood, but when he heard a ‘be gentle!’ from behind him, he knew that Ennoshita did.

He wasted no time in running to Yamaguchi’s room, throwing the sliding door open and barging in, only to stop abruptly when he finally got to see the spirit’s face.

It looked like he had just recovered from a sickness, with tired eyes and slumped shoulders. He had no shirt because the bandages wrapped tightly around his chest looked delicate and he was lightly holding onto the blankets on his lap. When Tsukishima walked in, his face visibly brightened and despite his ragged appearance, Tsukishima felt like the sun just broke through the clouds.

“Yamaguchi,” he breathed, walking over to the bed and dropping down on it, immediately grabbing his hands. The spirit squeezed back tightly, a warm smile on his face. Tsukishima had a sense of déjà vu at this moment, of coming in after not really ‘seeing’ Yamaguchi for a while. “How are you feeling?”

“Better,” Yamaguchi said, his voice hoarse after a few days of not being used, “now that you’re here.”

Tsukishima closed his eyes and shook his head, fighting the smile on his face. Yamaguchi was awake, _awake_! His body had chosen and he was given the chance to ‘live’ again. Not that Tsukishima doubted it but…there was always the possibility.

“Ennoshita said you stayed in here for a while.” Yamaguchi had a goofy smile on his face. “Were you really worried?”

Scoffing, he gave the recruiter a look. “You’re really asking me that question?”

“Sorry, Tsu-“

“Of _course_ I was worried. You weren’t moving, you were barely breathing, and Hinata’s telling me all this shit about your body deciding whether or not you’re _important_.” The spirit tensed under his gaze but Tsukishima barreled on. “You don’t realize just how fucking mad I was when they told me that you were ready to go and _kill_ yourself just to kill me as a spectre too! Yamaguchi, don’t you _ever_ go do that again, do you hear me? You’re not just important to the spirit world but you’re important to _me_ and if you ever think that ‘self-sacrificial’ is ever the way to go then I am telling you now that every character in every story who tries to sacrifice themselves fail.”

Tsukishima immediately stopped his rant when he saw Yamaguchi’s expression. He hadn’t realized what he was doing; the pent-up emotions that he had been holding in since the battle had only started to release itself now, his worry, anger, pain and relief at seeing Yamaguchi. It burst out of him like a flood.

“A-Are you that m-mad…? I’m sorry, Tsukki, I just-“

The writer’s brain short circuited briefly.

_Fuck. I’m not mad._

“Wait, no,” Tsukishima said quickly, squeezing Yamaguchi’s hands before he began to start crying. “No, I’m not mad. I’m just…I was just _really_ worried. I was scared, Yamaguchi, when you got hurt. And I’m also just really relieved that you’re awake. I’m not mad at all. Please believe me.”

Yamaguchi stared at him for a moment, brows furrowed as if he were trying to really figure out what Tsukishima was saying. Then he released the other’s hands and opened up his arms.

“…If I hug you, I’ll hurt you.”

“It doesn’t hurt that much really, the wound is mostly gone too…Tsukki, just-“

Tsukishima dived for him, embracing the spirit tightly but with enough space so that he wasn’t pressed up against the injured area. Yamaguchi let out a little sob of relief and Tsukishima might’ve echoed it, who knows?

“I’m sorry,” Yamaguchi said, face buried in Tsukishima’s neck as his hands tightened on the back of his shirt. The mortal was so tempted to just drag him into his lap and hold him so tightly they melted into one. “I’m so sorry for what happened. I’m sorry for what you turned into.”

“Yamaguchi, please,” Tsukishima spoke quietly. His fingers slid into the other’s hair, gently combing the strands. “Stop it. You don’t have to apologize because you _saved_ me. You saved all of us. You’ve done nothing wrong.”

There were sniffles and Tsukishima could feel his shoulder turn wet but he simply rubbed the back of Yamaguchi’s head reassuringly. “Don’t put any blame on yourself whatsoever, we already have to deal with Hinata.”

The spirit raised his head, confusion flickering in his eyes. “Hinata…Oh.” Yamaguchi sighed. “It’s not his fault either, what happened to me.”

Tsukishima snorted. “You’d best tell him that, then. He’s the type to act all happy-cheerful and I’m afraid he’ll accidentally break in front of Kageyama and he won’t know what to do.”

The ghost of a smile appeared on the other’s lips. “So Kageyama’s still here then? Is he alright too? And your brother?”

Long fingers cupped the freckled face and Tsukishima pulled Yamaguchi in to press their foreheads together. Breathing in the same air and feeling the ticklish feeling of Yamaguchi’s breath against his lips comforted him tremendously. “We’re all okay, thanks to you. It’s all thanks to you.”

“Tsukki…”

“No, Yamaguchi. You’re the hero. You’re _my_ hero.”

A small laugh. “I thought I’d never hear you say something like that.”

“Yeah, well, I said it. And I mean it. Do you believe me?”

Yamaguchi bit his bottom lip and nodded a bit.

“Good. I’m just happy you’re awake.”

The hands around his body slid up to cup his face in return. They were pressed close and Tsukishima could feel the warmth radiate from the spirit. “I’m glad you’re here. I’m glad _you’re_ safe.”

“I’ve missed you,” Tsukishima said quietly, lips just ghosting over Yamaguchi’s, eliciting a tiny whine that made the spirit blush slightly. The mortal smiled.

“Then show me you miss me,” came the petulant answer and Tsukishima had to stop himself from pulling back and laughing. As much as everyone said Yamaguchi was a gentle person, and to a point he was, he was also delightfully sassy and endearingly needy. “You haven’t done anything but hug me.”

“I’m trying not to hurt you!” Tsukishima said, bemusement in his tone. “Yamaguchi, there are _several_ things I want to do to you right now but you’re injured.”

A pout. “I said it doesn’t really hurt anymore.” He leaned in to practically shove his face into Tsukishima’s neck, forcing a kiss there. “I missed you. You ran off and there was just so many things I couldn’t tell you.”

Tsukishima carefully tugged Yamaguchi closer, being sensitive of his arm placement. The spirit was nearly half in his lap. “What did you want to tell me?”

Yamaguchi’s breath was hot on his neck but Tsukishima kept himself in check. “I wanted to tell you how much you mean to me. You’re important too.”

If anyone were to walk in right now, Tsukishima would’ve thrown the first thing his hand could reach at their face. Yamaguchi was comfortable in his arms, yes, but he was also not completely relaxed. Neither was Tsukishima, really, but he didn’t know where this was leading. Or, well, he could _guess_ , but that was just going to cut his breathing.

“Even if I’m a mortal?”

The spirit hummed into his neck, nodding his head a bit. His lips dragged hotly against Tsukishima’s neck. “Yeah. I wanted to tell you that you’re great. That you’re perfect.”

“That’s not-“

Tsukishima’s sentence immediately spluttered off when teeth lightly bit into his neck. “I wanted to tell you that you’re my everything.” He raised his head to gaze at the mortal with a searing gaze. “That you’re my Reason.”

He blinked in confusion. “I’m your…what?”

Yamaguchi flushed. “You’re my Reason. It’s what motivates a spirit to do anything, really. You’re it, Tsukki. Like, _it_ , it.”

_I’m his what? A reason? Yamaguchi’s spiritual motivation – what does that even mean? What do I even say-_

“Ah…Tsukki, what I’m trying to say…I’m trying to tell you I love you, since I wasn’t able to before… But I guess that wasn’t romantic enough…oh!”

Tsukishima had practically pulled Yamaguchi fully into his lap, looking at him with wide blown eyes. His heart was pounding and the words were on repeat in his head, but he wanted to _make sure_ that was exactly what he heard.

“T-Tsukki?”

“You what?”

“I what?”

Tsukishima blinked before furrowing his brows. “I…you said…”

Yamaguchi’s wide eyes softened into a warm look. “I said I love you.” He raised his hand to cup Tsukishima’s cheek gently, his thumb brushing just underneath his eye. “I don’t have the strength to do anything flashy while I say it for the first time…but I want you to know that I love you. And I have, for a while.”

It was really hard to breathe. _Ridiculously_ hard to keep his thoughts in order. Tsukishima was trying very hard not to do something he’d regret, like maybe accidentally hurting Yamaguchi. Instead, he raised one hand to rest it on top of Yamaguchi’s. “You…you love _me_?” _I’m an asshole. I’m cold and harsh. I’m mean, rude to people I don’t like; I can hurt you._

The spirit nodded with a very serious look. “You and everything about you.”

_Everything._

“I love the way you talk and smile and laugh when you’re around me and sometimes when you’re around others.”

_Everything._

“I love how you’re so strong for not just yourself but for everyone you care for, even if you don’t like to show it.”

_Everything._

“I love how you saved me and liked me, even if I wasn’t much to start with.”

“Yamaguchi…”

A freckled nose leaned forward to nudge against his. “I love you so much that I’m willing to die all over again for you.”

Unable to help himself, Tsukishima folded the spirit into his arms tightly, pressing his face into Yamaguchi’s neck. There was a content sigh from the spirit as he ran his fingers through Tsukishima’s hair.

“I love you too, you know,” he said into the safety of Yamaguchi’s skin, hiding his heated cheeks. “I love you so much that it drove me crazy whenever you say you’re not enough. You’re _more_ than enough. You’re everything I could’ve ever asked for.”

Yamaguchi urged Tsukishima to lift his head and warm eyes looked at him with so much meaning behind them. The spirit then gave a little smile, that silly one that always made Tsukishima’s heart lurch when he realized that it was saved for only him. “Can you kiss me now?”

“Of course.”

Their lips finally met in a long-awaited kiss, molding into each other’s’ as they pressed in close. Despite how tired Yamaguchi said he was, he kissed Tsukishima eagerly and desperately, as if trying to pack in all the other words he couldn’t say into the single action.

Tsukishima, on the other hand, was trying so desperately to be mindful of Yamaguchi’s injuries, attempting to go slow enough to keep a clear head. The spirit sometimes (read: most of the time) completely overwhelmed him, more often than not causing the writer to throw all inhibitions out the window.

But Yamaguchi was still _injured_ and he literally had _bandages_ and _fuck now he’s taking control and doing that thing to my neck-_

Soon, the spirit was flat on his back on the bed with Tsukishima surging up on top of him, capturing his lips in a heated kiss once more, hands dragging up and down his bare sides and leaving feverish nail marks that faded after a few seconds. He was still careful of the wound, touching everywhere but there, but Yamaguchi was skilled at the art of seduction and just the simple wrapping of a leg around his waist made Tsukishima want to groan in frustration.

“Tsukki…” The spirit moaned, trying to get Tsukishima to move faster, do more and just _give up_. Tsukishima was half way down Yamaguchi’s neck, leaving an alarmingly red trail of marks and his fingers were hastily traveling toward the spirit’s pants when a loud ‘bang!’ nearly made them both have a heart attack.

Snapping their heads over to the door, the wide-eyed duo stared at Ennoshita who was staring back at them in shock. He had fresh bandages in his hands and a stricken expression on his face.

Frozen, the couple watched as the other spirit did a visual sweep.

All Ennoshita had to see was the blossoming red marks and the fact that Tsukishima’s hand was literally on top of Yamaguchi’s crotch for him to look absolutely thunderous.

“TSUKISHIMA KEI, HE IS _INJURED_ AND YOU THINK IT’S A GOOD IDEA TO JUST JUMP HIM THE MOMENT HE WAKES UP?” The spirit practically roared.

Both people still caught up in the heat of the moment as well as the rising panic, Ennoshita received two frantic replies at the same time.

“It doesn’t hurt anymore!”

“He said it’s fine now!

Ennoshita threw a hand out into the hallway, pointing. “Tsukishima. OUT. And for the love of all things holy can you PLEASE wait until Yamaguchi’s fully recovered?!”

The mortal scrambled to his feet, ready to bolt out of the room when another voice was heard down the hall.

“Ennoshita? What’s going on, why are you yelling?” The voice of Daichi was coming alarmingly near.

All three spirits responded in tones of varying types ranging from irritated, mortified and a squeak.

“NOTHING!”

           

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :))
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated! I love hearing your guys' thoughts about this fic!
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](tsukidinoshima.tumblr.com)


	18. The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!! And here we are, the technical last chapter! But since it is not the _last_ last chapter, I will save all my little words of gratitude for that~
> 
> Chapter 18, all in its glory! Everything wraps up in this chapter ~~and hopefully I didn't leave any loose threads~~. 
> 
> Enjoy~!

 

Hinata pressed his lips into a thin line, fingers twisted behind his back as he rocked on his heels slightly, watching the mortal fiddle with the pack at his side. Kageyama was making sure that the mortal material was properly covering all the spirit things he had acquired in order to keep the blue wisps from showing when he’d take the steps back into the mortal world.

Today was the day that he had to go.

Yamaguchi, like any spirit, healed alarmingly fast after his body had chosen to stick around and in just a few short days, not only was the pain gone but the scar was nearly completely mended as well. The only thing left was a soft red line that reminded them of what happened. Reminded _Hinata_ of what happened.

But he had properly dealt with that guilt.

The injured spirit had taken Hinata aside the first day he could properly stand up and they had a heart to heart. It consisted mainly of Yamaguchi physically shaking Hinata by the shoulders to get the fact inside Hinata’s head that _it was not his fault_ and above everything, Yamaguchi held no grudge against him. While Hinata still felt the lingering traces of guilt and doubt, receiving the familiar cheerful smile from the other recruiter helped soothe the anxiety immensely.

Right now, however, he wasn’t dealing with guilt. He was experiencing quite a myriad of emotions that involved hesitance, confusion and a heavy dose of sadness. Hinata and Kageyama never really _established_ what they were. Neither of them ever took the time to sit down and tell each other ‘it’s alright you’re a mortal’ or ‘you’re a spirit but I don’t care’ like how Tsukishima and Yamaguchi probably did it. Maybe Kageyama _did_ care and that’s why they haven’t spoken about it. Because the mortal just wanted to go and be over with this ridiculous situation.

Hinata really wasn’t sure what to do. He and Kageyama had gotten much closer during the short time that he stayed in the Center, waiting for Yamaguchi’s health to regain, and the mortal had stuck by his side the entire time. Hinata had introduced him to everyone there, yes, but he and Kageyama were practically a package deal. Not that Hinata minded, really.

He was able to show Kageyama his room, as bland as it was, and even the weaponry. _That_ was interesting. The mortal totally flipped out after seeing so many ‘traditional’ and ‘ancient’ weapons that Hinata could only thank Yamaguchi for giving Kageyama immunity because the idiot immediately went to touch them. The excitement was endearing, though.

What wasn’t very endearing, however, was when the mortal proceeded to knock a few weapons off the table much to Asahi’s horror.

But now here they were, Kageyama even gifted with his _own_ small spirit dagger, tucked away in the safety of his pouch. Much like Yamaguchi and Tsukishima, he and Hinata had matching hilts, as if Nishinoya couldn’t get any more obvious.

“You’re going to come visit, right?” Hinata blurted out, throwing subtlety to the wind. “I mean, if you _want_ to visit. Which you should.”

Kageyama paused in tying the strap, looking up at him with a strange expression. _He’s going to say he doesn’t want to,_ Hinata thought immediately. _That he wouldn’t want to risk his life again just to come see a spirit center and me-_

“Of course, dumbass.”

_Oh._

“Why wouldn’t I come and visit?”

_Ah._

Kageyama stepped closer to flick Hinata in the forehead. The spirit did nothing but continue to stare. “We were like, bonded or something, right? Doesn’t that mean anything? I mean, I guess it doesn’t anymore but it does to m-“

“Yes!” Hinata said quickly, cutting him off. “Yes, it means something…I was just…I wasn’t sure if-“    

“If I’d come back, huh.” Kageyama raised a brow that made Hinata slightly wither.

“H-Hey…You nearly _died_. I wouldn’t have wanted to come back if I knew that this was such a dangerous place.”

It’s true. If he had been dragged into a spirit world during his mortal years and the first thing that happened to him was constant torture, he wouldn’t have even given the spirits a second thought if he escaped.

_Speaking of which…_ Hinata reached out to ghost a few fingers over a bruise that was still prominent just on the side of Kageyama’s jaw. There was also dark rings around his eye from when the Wraith decided to get physical with his own fists. When they came back, Ennoshita and Suga patched them all up pretty well, but Kageyama was the mortal who was dealt the most damage. Physically and mentally too. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

Kageyama’s hand reached up to wrap around Hinata’s before he could pull it away. “I’m fine. It doesn’t hurt.”

Hinata reached up with his other hand to poke the bruise lightly, watching Kageyama wince and grimace.

“ _Ow_ , what the hell-“

“Liiiiiaaar! You said it didn’t hurt!”

“That didn’t mean you had to go and fucking _test_ it-!”

“Ow, ow, Kageyama let go of my haaaand! Don’t crush it; I’m sorrryy!”

Suddenly, he was tugged forward and Hinata collided with the front of Kageyama’s chest. Firm arms wrapped around him and a sharp chin slotted his head underneath. “I’ll visit,” Kageyama said. “I want to come back; this place is cool.”

“Just cool?” Hinata replied, words muffled by the cloth pressing against his face. Kageyama smelled so nice, so comforting, and he couldn’t help but wrap his arms around the taller man, squeezing back.

“Great. I think this place is great. I’m not good with words like Tsukishima is, give me some slack.”

The spirit laughed and he felt Kageyama’s chest rumble in return. He was chuckling too. “Don’t compare yourself to him. I think you’re better.”

Kageyama quieted for a moment before trying to pull back to look into Hinata’s face but the recruiter kept himself buried into the other’s chest, not trusting himself to look up. The mortal gave up but Hinata could still feel his gaze on the top of his head. “Am I, now?”

Hinata nodded.

“But you’ve known him longer.”

“So? He’s not that nice to me. He kind of only likes Yamaguchi.”

Hinata could feel Kageyama practically roll his eyes. “What an idiot. Finds a boy to like and suddenly he’s a totally different person. But, what, you think _I’m_ better?”

“Yeah,” the spirit said, finally calming his cheeks enough that he could pull back and look up at Kageyama. “Much better.”

“Are you saying this because we spent a near-death experience with each other causing people to find connections both physically and emotionally to the other person while- ow!”

Kageyama rubbed at the shoulder Hinata had whacked, frowning. “ _No_ , _dumbass_ ,” Hinata mimicked and the mortal huffed. “I mean that I actually like you better than I do Tsukishima. And even though I’ve known him for longer, I’d still choose to hang out with you.”

Hinata was amused because the flush on Kageyama’s face that must’ve appeared earlier was now steadily growing, turning him into a tomato. With a grin, he reached up to poke both his cheeks. “What, can’t handle more compliments? I’m not lying! I really do think-“          

“Shut up, Hinata, I get it.” Kageyama was fully flushed by this point.

Laughing, the spirit pulled his hands back. “That’s all I wanted to tell you before you left, is all. As long as you’re coming back every once in a while.”

Kageyama’s gaze searched his face for something and Hinata tilted his head, wondering what. The arms that Kageyama had not actually taken away from his torso suddenly tightened just a bit and their proximity finally hit Hinata in the face like a brick. _Very close._

“I could come back more often…”

Hinata’s eyes widened. “Really? You could?” He then sobered quickly, trying not to seem over excited. “Wait, wait. But you work in the same place Tsukishima does, right? He has a busy schedule… If you can’t then you don’t have to.”

The other man shrugged. “I’m an intern. I’ve got a lighter schedule. I also go to school so I can skip classes if I wanted to.”

_Skip classes to come to the forest what-_ “Kageyama!” Hinata quickly hit him on the arm again. “Don’t skip school!”

He grinned. “What? But I could come to the forest more often-“

“Don’t _skip school_ just to come. Find some other time and find some other reason than just ‘skipping school’!” Hinata quickly shook his head. “If we skipped lessons when I was a kid, we were _beaten_ -“

“Then I should find a reason to come back more?”

Kageyama’s abrupt question cut Hinata off, causing him to frown slightly. “Uh, _yeah_. That’s just what I said. Find some other reason to come.”

The arms tightened around him once more and like flash, Hinata finally understood. He could feel the back of his neck burn when he realized just how late he had caught on to that meaning. “L-Like, something fun to do. Tsukishima got really into training.” _Why am I nervous? I’m_ never _nervous. Is it because he’s a mortal? Or that he’s taller than me?_

“He also got really into someone.” Kageyama’s voice was far too casual and nonchalant.

_Oh. Oh, wow, Kageyama. Smooth. Not obvious at all. Wow, very good._

“He’s weird.” _I sound like you, geh._

The mortal furrowed his brows at the statement and Hinata wanted to cry out to the heavens at the poor man who looked genuinely worried. “Would that make me weird too?”

Hinata let out a weird throat sound. “Why, are you really into someone too? Someone you’d make time out of your busy day to come see often?”

Straightforward worked with straightforward people because Hinata could practically see the understanding light up in Kageyama’s eyes. “Well, yeah. You, obviously.”

_…Too bad I can’t die twice. Killer line, Kageyama._

Kageyama stared at him and Hinata stared back. He was obviously waiting for Hinata to say something in return but there was nothing. Really, there wasn’t much he could say to that.

So instead, he surged upwards onto his tiptoes and planted a kiss right on Kageyama’s shocked mouth, feeling him jerk straight. Pulling back quickly, he felt his pulse skyrocket as he looked at the mortal whose face had done a one eighty flip from casual, to stricken. “Uummm… I like that reason?” He kept his voice light.

It was quite obvious that the other’s thought process was going on overdrive. Hinata patiently waited for Kageyama to sort it out, watching the flush return quickly. “You…”

“I…?”

“…Can I do it too?”

_Bless him, he asks for permission._

“What’s stopping you?”

Hinata’s playful smile was the last push Kageyama apparently needed. The mortal leaned in, capturing Hinata’s lips in a gentle kiss, nothing intense or too chaste, but enough to leave Hinata wanting more when Kageyama pulled away all too soon. The redness on both of their cheeks must have rivalled the sun’s.

“So you’ll visit often?”

“Every chance I get.”

Lips met once more, sweet and brief. “I’ll be here waiting, then.”

\----------------

“Are you _sure_ you’re alright-“

“Yes.”

“If you’re still in pain-“

“I’m _not_.”

“Yamaguchi, seriously, this is a trek all the way through the forest-“

The spirit whirled around, irritation thrumming through his veins. Tsukishima had not _shut up_ about his ‘injury’ since yesterday, always peppering him with questions and complaints and _ugh_ , Yamaguchi had had enough.

“Tsukki, I’m _fine_. I’m not hurting. I can’t even feel it.” He reached up and grabbed the flap of his kimono, yanking it down to expose his chest. There was only a faint line of red that looked as if Tsukishima himself could have reached forward and dragged his nail lightly against his skin. “See? It’s healed. _I’m_ healed. You’re healed. Your brother, however, we still need to heal.”

He glanced pointedly at the doorway that led to the room Akiteru was sleeping in. The poor man had been out for _so long_ , Tsukishima was going to have a really hard time explaining why suddenly more than a week flew by. Yamaguchi knew that they had just been slowly patching up their relationship and though he knew Tsukishima was planning to lie his way through this one, he didn’t want the situation any worse than it already was. And really, his injury _didn’t_ hurt anymore.

“But Yama-“

“ _Tsukishima_ ,” he said firmly, using the man’s full name. It effectively shut the mortal up and Yamaguchi saw him visibly wither. He was only being worried and cautious is all and the spirit had to appreciate that. With a sigh, he stepped forward and slid his arms around Tsukishima’s waist, leaning up to press his nose against the taller man’s jaw. “I’m alright, really. I want you three to get home quickly; you all deserve proper rest.”

 A nose made its way into his hair and he could feel Tsukishima’s hot breath on the top of his head. “If you say so.”

“I say so,” Yamaguchi said, planting a quick kiss on his mouth before pulling back. “Plus, me being hurt didn’t stop you from jumping on me when I first woke up.” He smiled in amusement. “I bet Ennoshita’s still scarred.”

Tsukishima frowned. “I was…caught up in the heat of the moment.”

“Heat of the moment indeed.”

“You had _just_ woken up, okay? I was excited.”

Yamaguchi laughed because really, Tsukishima was just too much sometimes. Sometimes he could be endearingly cute and sweet without noticing it despite his jagged personality. Reaching out he tugged at the collar of Tsukishima’s shirt, fixing it slightly. “I know you were, Tsukki. I appreciated it. I was really happy to see you too.”

There was silence between them for a moment, Yamaguchi idly fiddling with Tsukishima’s clothes as the mortal looked down at him with his usual stoic expression. But Yamaguchi had enough experience around the man to know that his blank, disinterested look was never actually what it seemed. His eyes flowed with emotion and it was the _little_ things you had to look out for. Like the way his lip just barely quirked up whenever he was looking at something he liked or was amused by. Or the bare crinkle at the corner of his eyes when he was happy. Even seeing one smooth brow raise just a centimeter in question was more than enough of an explanation.

“So-“

“I’m _fine_ , Tsukki. Now let’s go.”

He turned away, proceeding to walk down the hall again and faltered only once, when he felt a warm hand slide into his. Squeezing Tsukishima’s hand with a growing smile, they walked to the main area of the center.

There was a bustle of activity that, in Yamaguchi’s opinion, was quite unnecessary. It was simply the mortals heading back to their mortal homes, not really a surprise.

“Tsukishima!” Nishinoya exclaimed, bounding over to the couple and grabbing the taller man by the shoulders, proceeding to shake. “Are you sure you’re alright to go home?! Are you ready? Excited? Nervous?”

As suspected, Tsukishima simply pried off the other’s fingers, rolling his eyes. “I’m not anything, I’m just going home.”

“Oooohhh,” Nishinoya said, pulling back. “Right. You’re coming back, right? Even though you’re all better?”

Yamaguchi paused briefly in his walk to where Suga was after hearing Nishinoya’s question. He had always assumed that Tsukishima would naturally come back. They were, what, _together_ after all.

But would he? Aside from Yamaguchi, he had no spirit bond to cure, no brother and coworker to save and nothing to give him an incentive to train. But Yamaguchi… _he_ was something to come back for, right? Doubt rolled into his chest and the recruiter nearly turned around to look Tsukishima in the face to see his reply when he felt a presence behind him. He nearly jumped when he felt an arm boldly slide around his waist and the heat of Tsukishima’s body press in close.

“Of course I am,” said his voice with an obvious tone. “I’d come to see Yamaguchi, though I don’t know about seeing you.” After spending many months with the mortal, everyone was skilled in being able to pick up the very faint but existent sound of sarcasm behind his tone.

Nishinoya, naturally, grinned and laughed, shaking his head in disbelief. “My god, you guys are _gross_. Well, I’ll see you soon, then, because Asahi and I have got new weapons in the making that I bet would fit you!”

“I’ll be sure to try them out.”

Yamaguchi felt his heart soar when he heard Tsukishima’s words, the doubt in his chest vanishing instantly. He automatically leaned into Tsukishima’s hold, face flushed at the fact that he was doing this _in public_ in front of the entire Center and that he blatantly admitted to coming back solely for Yamaguchi.

He was also just so _proud_ of the gradual changes that were evident in Tsukishima’s demeanor during his time spent in the spirit world. The drastic change from the beginning to now was just so clear to see in his actions and words that the entirety of Karasuno could see it. Tsukishima was kinder, more understanding and even found middle ground in talking to people like Nishinoya or Hinata. He grew more dependable, became much more open and not only that, but came to realize that he had a place in the Center, regardless of being a mortal.

The spirit could easily say that not only did Yamaguchi fell in love with the man he met, but he was also smitten with the man Tsukishima had become.

“Where’s idiot one and two?” Tsukishima asked, glancing around for the familiar bob of orange hair and its accompanied black. They had noticed that the two had stuck to each other like glue and Yamaguchi, having known Hinata for as long as he had, could tell the obvious quirks of interest.

It was adorable watching the oldest spirit in the center act like a total child around Kageyama, extra hyper and always interested in talking to him. Hinata had even told Yamaguchi himself that in the cave, they had shared so many secrets about each other, more things than Hinata probably even told someone like Ennoshita. He shared his entire past with Kageyama and Yamaguchi knew that Hinata’s past was special to hear.

Truthfully, he was nowhere close to surprised when the two walked back into the center from the front doors as an answer to Tsukishima’s question, one face glowing radiantly and the other flushed a deep red. They weren’t holding hands or doing something as obvious as Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, but it was like a huge sign was above their heads, flashing brightly.

“Yamaguchiiiiii~!” Hinata exclaimed, detaching himself from Kageyama’s side and bounding over to the other recruiter, throwing his arms around his neck and jostling him. Immediately, he leaned in close to his ear. “ _Kageyama’s a good kisser~_ ”

Tsukishima must have heard it, however, because there was a revolted ‘Oh god, that’s disgusting,’ and the mortal was pulling away. Yamaguchi laughed, a flush on his cheeks at his friend’s boldness, but he hugged Hinata and patted his back. “Um…that’s great?”

Hinata pulled his head back, a silly grin on his face. “He said he’s also gonna come back and visit! So now we’ll have Tsukishima _and_ Kageyama come over!”

“That’s awesome!” Yamaguchi felt both happy and relieved knowing that just like his situation, Kageyama was going to come back instead of leaving the friendships he made here in the dust. He glanced over at the two mortals who were standing next to each other awkwardly, watching their respective partners explode with glee. “I’m happy for you!”

They were interrupted by Daichi’s voice paired with a clap of his hands. “Alright, so Kageyama, Tsukishima, you’re both in charge with carrying Tsukishima’s brother. We have a stretcher for him but you’ll need to discard it quickly before he wakes up. Honestly, just toss it back into the forest; we’ll get it. Yamaguchi, you’re up for this, correct? It’s just to the edge of the forest and back.”

“Yes, I am,” the spirit said and unlike Tsukishima, Daichi simply nodded, and that was that.

“Good, let’s get to it! Don’t bother with dramatic goodbyes, please,” the Chief said before Tanaka could successfully throw his tearful body at Tsukishima. “They’re not leaving forever.”

Yamaguchi and Hinata meandered to the front of the Center as the two mortals grabbed either ends of the stretcher that Akiteru was laid delicately upon. The spirits were very careful to keep their distance from the unconscious man. As they all walked through the door, Yamaguchi peered down at Akiteru’s face then looked up at Tsukishima. The resemblance was most definitely there: the sharp jaw, the slope of his nose and the sandy coloured hair. Tsukishima caught him looking and he raised a slender brow. Yamaguchi simply shot him back a smile in return.

A small group that consisted of the two recruiters, the three mortals and Daichi and Suga all boarded the trolley heading straight to the Moonlight Station. They chattered aimlessly, Kageyama and Tsukishima proving to be the most entertaining duo with how they constantly bickered yet without genuine bite to their words. Akiteru was set up carefully on the ground between all of them.

They rolled into Moonlight Station without any problem, the vastness of the forest spreading out around them. It felt strangely lighter than before, perhaps because of the knowledge that all the found spectres were held in captivity, waiting for Yamaguchi to get back. When he heard about _that_ plan, he was thoroughly shocked.

_Me? Healing spectres? How wild._

Unlike the rest of his fellow spirits, he couldn’t bring himself to simply say ‘save.’ His father had taught him to be humble and that while he could be seen as something’s ‘saviour,’ it was because of his skill to _heal_ them that was most important. Without it, a saviour without a power to save was not really a saviour.

He was excited to return to the Center, back to the enclosure where the spectres were tied up, fighting for release. Yamaguchi _wanted_ to place his hands on them all, turn them back into the mortals they once were. No one was truly worried about the outcome because he had already successfully healed three spectres all in one day. What’s a few more?

“Careful, you idiot,” Tsukishima said when Kageyama accidentally jostled the front of the stretcher as they were taking Akiteru off the trolley. “I don’t want him in an _actual_ coma.”

“Shut up, I’m being careful,” Kageyama snapped back in return as they maneuvered the older man out.

It was a relatively loud walk towards the edge of the forest, Hinata peppering Tsukishima with questions about his bother and Tsukishima answering them with as little to no detail as possible. Yamaguchi secretly prided himself in knowing the answer to almost all of them.

When the street came into view, the spirits slowed down and the mortals paused, setting the stretcher down. They hefted Akiteru around their shoulders, the unconscious man’s head lolling from side to side as he was moved. Daichi pressed Yamaguchi’s shoulder lightly forward.

“Alright. You three turn around so that you can quickly walk out. We’ll be gone as soon as Yamaguchi heals him so goodbye for now.”

Yamaguchi quickly turned to look at the mortals, two of them with a determined expression on their face, the other, blacked out. “Do you two know what you’re going to tell him?” Suga asked and Yamaguchi almost laughed at the comical way Tsukishima and Kageyama almost immediately turned away, eyes looking anywhere but Suga. The swordsmaster chuckled. “Right, well, you two deal with that. Let’s get going so you all can rest.”

The three men turned around, facing the street. In the distance they could see Tsukishima’s car parked close to the edge, abandoned for god knew how long. Yamaguchi stepped up, placing a hand on Tsukishima’s arm briefly. “I’ll see you later?” He said quietly, reaching up to brush his lips against the mortal’s cheek. Daichi and Suga were speaking to each other and Hinata had wandered over to say goodbye to Kageyama.

Tsukishima looked down at him and though he didn’t smile with his lips, the spirit could see the warmth clearly in his eyes. “Yeah. I’ll be back soon.”

Moving behind the three of them, he took a deep breath. “Alright, here I go~” He could see Tsukishima and Kageyama physically brace themselves and he reached out, placing his palms against Akiteru’s shoulders. There was a visible pulse that filled their area of the forest, reverberating deep into everyone’s chest.

As soon as Akiteru let out his first gasp, jerking in the others’ arms, the spirits scattered immediately.

“K-Kei…?”

“Aki-nii!”

Yamaguchi heard Tsukishima’s voice fill the air and he smiled.

\--------------

“Quick, let’s get him to the car,” Tsukishima grunted as he and Kageyama began hauling his barely-conscious brother towards the street. _Thank god,_ was his only thought as his brother groaned quietly, trying to move his legs to match the others. _Thank god he’ll be okay._

They half-carried half-dragged Akiteru to Tsukishima’s car, settling him into the back seat as best as possible. Akiteru’s eyes were flickering open and the man was reaching up to rub his neck, no doubt aching all over. “Kei…what-“

“We’re getting you home,” Tsukishima said quickly, buckling him in before he and Kageyama rushed to the front of the car. What they wanted was to get out of the forest before Akiteru regained proper consciousness and asked what was going on.

The car pealed out of its parked area and out of the forest quickly, passing another small car on the way. “Is that…?” Tsukishima asked, glancing at Kageyama.

“Yeah. Do you care if we go back for it later?” The other mortal was craning his neck, staring out the window and to the forest they had just left. Tsukishima understood; he had been the same way, once. Mesmerized by the other world hidden within the trees, addicted to a spirit that would always be there waiting.

“Sure.”

Tsukishima tried not to think about the issue in the air as Akiteru slowly stirred in the backseat, mumbling in confusion. He and Kageyama never bothered to sit down and have a discussion on what to say. He didn’t know what to even tell their bosses. So when he glanced over at the intern, seeing him turn back around with a stumped expression on his face, Tsukishima knew that they were both going to be in deep shit unless they could come up with something fast.

“Kei…?”

Which had to be _now_.

“Hey, Aki-nii, how’s your head feeling?” He tried to sound casual to hide the panic inside of him. Kageyama looked over at him with a stricken expression; both of them had been _idiots_ for not planning this beforehand.

There were some shifting sounds in the back and the sound of a seatbelt unbuckling and Akiteru’s head was sticking itself between the first two seats. Tsukishima wanted to chide at him but he glanced over, seeing a dazed and confused bewildered expression on his brother’s face. “It…hurts. My body’s sore too. Kei, what happened? Where are we going?” He looked to the passenger seat. “Who are you?”

Tsukishima and Kageyama shared a quick glance and he was sure that the conversation that passed between them ran along these lines.

_Tell him something._

_What the fuck? You tell him, he’s your brother._

_He’s talking to_ you _._

_Yeah, well, I’m not his brother._

_TELL HIM SOMETHING._

_I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO TELL HIM._

_I don’t fucking know! The truth!_

_You want him to know the_ TRUTH _?! I thought the point of us busting the speed limit out of the forest was so that he_ wouldn’t _know the god damn tru-_

“You were abducted,” Tsukishima said bluntly as soon as he turned away, breaking eye contact with Kageyama and ending their silent conversation. He heard the intern let out a choked sound and he was sure that if he looked over again, the only look he’d get would be a solid ‘THE FUCK?’

Akiteru let out gaping sounds and Tsukishima could see through the rearview mirror as his brother looked absolutely mystified. “Ab…What? I was…I was at work…” He glanced down and saw that yes, he was still in his suit. Akiteru startled when he noticed how dirty and ragged he looked. “What the hell?”

“What happened at work?” Tsukishima asked.

Giving his brother a bit of time to collect his thoughts as they pulled into his driveway, he stopped the car. They all continued to sit there, however, as Akiteru fumbled for words. “There…There was some man who…I think was going to offer me a job…? We were supposed to talk…”

_The Wraith,_ Tsukishima thought grimly. From the corner of his eyes he could see the white of Kageyama’s knuckles. _Don’t worry, idiot, I’m not going to spill about your little spirit lover._ He wrinkled his nose when he realized that the sentence also applied to himself.

“He wasn’t offering you a job, Aki-nii. That guy’s been abducting people, interns, whatever, from jobs for…awhile.”

_Kageyama, help me out, damnit._

As if he had said it out loud, Kageyama cleared his throat, jumping in immediately. “Y-Yeah. I’m an intern at the company Tsukishima works at and he nearly got me too. But he’s had you for…” Kageyama gaped, unsure what to say.

_He’s going to have an issue explaining his disappearance from his boss without a proper reason._ “About a week.”

“About a week?!” Akiteru exclaimed, dropping back into the seat with a _whump_. Tsukishima turned, looking at his brother with a genuinely worried expression. “I’ve been gone a whole _week_? What, and I’ve been unconscious the whole time too? I don’t remember a thing!”

“Guy had you on some sort of drug,” Tsukishima said, watching the horror fill his brother’s face. “We had to go out searching for you and we just now found you. I don’t know about the police,” He glanced at Kageyama, “because we’ve been out searching for you the whole week too.” It was a weak excuse but it was the best they had. There was no doubt their jobs would’ve filed in missing person’s report when none of them came into work the next day and, if Tsukishima remembered correctly, their house was left unlocked.

Akiteru rubbed his face, trying to register all the information. Tsukishima and Kageyama sat silently up in the front. “This is insane. You _both_ are insane; you should’ve gone straight to the authorities!” He frowned at Tsukishima before his expression broke and the writer could see gratitude behind the shock. “Where…where did you find me?”

Tsukishima pressed his lips thin for a moment. “A cave.”

“A cave?! Where was the guy?”

“Gone before we got there. Aki-nii, you need to rest.”

His brother had on an expression of disbelief. “Kei, I’ve been unconscious for _a week_.”

_Yes but we have no clue what he even put you under so it’s better we don’t take our chances and maybe give you like…pain meds._

“Yeah, well, Kageyama and I say that you need to rest. You don’t need to sleep, just…you were on a cave ground for a week.”

At the reminder, Akiteru grimaced as if all the aches suddenly flooded him once more. “I…yeah. Yeah, let’s go to the police station immediately after, okay? We need to tell them what happened-“

“We’ll get that covered,” Tsukishima said firmly, getting out of the car and opening the backseat door, sticking his hand out for his brother to grab on. _I’ll weave the story to the authorities._ “Just come on, you’ve been out forever.”

Akiteru slumped a bit on Tsukishima’s shoulders, allowing himself to be supported all the way up to their apartment, Kageyama on the other side. They entered, seeing a slight mess in drawers and cupboards and Tsukishima immediately brought his brother to the couch. “What happened in here…?” Akiteru asked, surprised.

“Um, probably Bokuto and the others after they realized we were gone-“

“You _didn’t_ tell your bosses you were leaving?!”

His brother’s shoulders began heaving and when Tsukishima quickly spun from the shelf he was looking at, he could see that the poor man must’ve had reality finally hit him like a brick because he seemed to be hyperventilating. “Aki-nii! Hey, hey!”

“ _Kei,_ ” Akiteru stressed, reaching up to grab him by the shoulders, shaking him aggressively. “What the _fuck_ happened to me? What _in the world_ happened? I-I, I’m happy I’m alive and I’m happy you two are too but who the hell-“

Tsukishima really had no intention of continuing to dig himself into the hole that was 9 miles deep already. He shoved a video game controller into his brother’s hands desperately. “Aki-nii, I’ll do my best to explain everything later. Just, relax or something. Please. I’m tired too and it’s been a really long week…”

Akiteru stared at him in surprise for a moment before nodding, a lost expression still on his face. “You…we need to tell the police, we can’t just have disappeared like this. I have work, _you_ have work-“

Kageyama was stepping forward, placing a hand on Akiteru’s shoulder. “Um…Tsukishima-san, I know this is hard to believe but you just have to trust us. We don’t know much of what else happened to you either, just that you were taken and we were able to find you-“

“ _How?_ ” Akiteru stressed, obviously dead set on trying to understand what happened. It was a hard tale that Tsukishima and Kageyama were trying to push and they both knew it. Disappearing for a week without even the police on their tail? Sure, it surprised them, but probably more so for Akiteru, technical pro at running from the law and who was used to having authorities seeking him out.

Unsure of what else to say to his brother, Tsukishima gently pushed Akiteru back down onto the couch, sitting down with him. He pressed the controller in his hands knowing that it was the least he could do at the very moment. His own mind was frazzled and frayed and truthfully, they probably all just needed shock blankets. “We’ll do our best to explain. But right now Kageyama and I need to go. We’ll talk after, I promise. Just…relax, _please_.”

Akiteru stared at them for a bit, his eyes tightening when he took in the very faint bruises on Kageyama’s face that both were hoping he’d overlook. “You’re hurt.”

“Just run ins in the forest,” Kageyama said, not untruthfully. “I’m a bit clumsy.”

“Clumsy enough to get a black eye?”

Kageyama opened his mouth, unsure of how to answer, when Tsukishima cut in. “I did that. It was…we’re not the best of friends and it’s hard for us to get along. Especially having to deal with him for a whole week.”

It was odd saying it out loud and it wasn’t _wrong_ , but it saved Kageyama’s ass. All he heard from the intern was a small grunt and a nod. “Yeah.”

“Kei,” Akiteru scolded, before his expression simply deflated. There was no point in yelling and chastising when the point was that they all got back safe. Also, Tsukishima was obviously not going to sit down and tell Akiteru everything right this moment so his brother could only nod in understanding. “Yeah. You two should go so that you can come back and get your rest too.”

Breathing an internal sigh in relief, Tsukishima nodded quickly before backing up. “I’m going to take Kageyama home.”     

“Alright. Be safe. And Kei?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.” His brother shot him a grateful smile and Tsukishima couldn’t help but give one in return.

“You’re welcome. I’m glad you’re back safe.”

He closed the front door on his confused brother and Kageyama let out a short laugh in disbelief. “That was shitty. That was terrible. What a _bad plan-_ “

“It was the only thing I could think of, okay?” Tsukishima retorted. “You do realize we have to come up with a proper excuse for why the hell we’ve all been gone for a solid week? Our jobs might be okay since we’re with Bokuto but Akiteru’s a recent intern. He’s probably already fired unless there’s proof he’s been taken.”

“There _is_ proof, right? You said that they looked through your house when they realized you were gone.”

Tsukishima sighed and shrugged as they made their way back to the car. “I don’t know. I really don’t. There’s just going to be a lot of things we need to deal with tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yeah, tomorrow, idiot. We have to go to work. We have to see Bokuto and them all and explain why _we_ were also gone for a week.”

The car door that slammed echoed the panicked sound that left Kageyama’s lips. “Shit. You’re right. We have to go to work.”

\---------------

‘Going to work’ proved to be the second hardest thing to do right after fighting a spectre in Tsukishima’s opinion. He and Kageyama were literally standing outside of the employee entrance, hands sweating and with grim expressions. They had practiced their story, as _awful_ of a story that it was, and were ready to face whatever was waiting for them inside.

Explaining the rest to Akiteru was no big issue. The man had called his job as soon as Tsukishima had left to take Kageyama home and miraculously, Wolf Creek Publishers was more than happy to hear about his return. Akiteru’s boss had agreed that the man who wanted to speak to the intern actually had no connections to Bloomsbury and that he was very shady to begin with. They had sent in a report to the police and Tsukishima learned that a police investigation for the Wraith had been sent underfoot, an endeavor with no true ending. They would never even find the body. Long story short, Akiteru’s position was still his under the reason that no one worked as diligently as him in their intern pool.

As for Tsukishima and Akiteru’s heart to heart, Tsukishima explained as much as he could while leaving out nearly everything spiritual. He was abducted, Kageyama was also abducted, and Tsukishima, in a fit of wild rage and anger, decided to drop everything and go searching for them. He got thoroughly chastised for doing something so absolutely rash without thinking about _any_ of the consequences, but Akiteru believed the story completely.

They played video games late into the night to destress.

But now it was the next day, all three men going to their consecutive work places. Neither Tsukishima nor Kageyama had called ahead, letting Akaashi or Bokuto know about their arrival. Their plan was to just walk in and face the problem head on.

“You think they hired other people already?”

“No. These are the normal cars out here.”

“You think they were thinking about it?”

Tsukishima thought about that for a moment, before shaking his head again. “No. Bokuto’s very family-oriented. He would have had to know someone for a long time before hiring them.”

Kageyama snorted. “Are you calling us a family? Wow. How domestic. Didn’t know Yamaguchi could change so mu- _Ow_!”

The intern rubbed his arm where the writer had punched it. “Shut up. I’m saying _Bokuto_ calls us a family, if you’ve ever bothered to listen to him talk. Let’s go.”

It was thirty minutes past opening time, a good deal after the other three men should’ve already been situated in the workplace. They decided that it was best to come in just a little afterwards because really, they were still kind of in a mental loop, how hard were they expecting to get worked today, if at all?

Tsukishima walked in, Kageyama close behind him, and frowned when he saw that the main area of the office building was bare. His and Kageyama’s computer were turned off, untouched, but so was Kuroos. However, Bokuto’s office door was open and concerned and tired voices wafted out.

“Should we…?” Kageyama asked and Tsukishima nodded, immediately beelining it for the office.

Without any hesitation, he walked in, Kageyama awkwardly following behind him. “Hey. We’re back.”

A sequence of dramatic events happened that went somewhat like this: The glass in Bokuto’s hand fell out of it and hit the table, its contents spilling everywhere as it crashed to the ground. Kuroo _actually_ threw his own glass away, lunging towards the writer. Akaashi yelled in horror as Bokuto proceeded to clamber onto the desk, atop all his important paperwork, and used _that_ as a jumping board to launch himself at Tsukishima. Two bodies slammed into Tsukishima’s own and he fell backwards, straight onto Kaegeyama, and the group of men fell to the ground in a large pile, Akaashi shouting worries above them.

“TSUKISHIMAAAAA! KAGEYAAMAAAA!” Bokuto wailed loudly, huge and obnoxious tears wetting Tsukishima’s neck grossly. He could feel and hear the intern struggling to release himself from underneath him but Kuroo had gotten himself a death hold.

“TOBIO, you little _punk_ , how DARE you just leave like that!”

Bokuto was too busy sobbing into Tsukishima’s chest for anyone to properly hear anything.

“Koutarou! Tetsurou! Let them breathe!” Akaashi was ordering them frantically, trying to pull his large lover off Tsukishima who was truly struggling to breathe. The weight of two grown men above him, pressing him down against a smaller one beneath him was really _not_ as kinky as people made it seem. He swatted at his boss’ arm in vain. “ _Koutarou!_ ”

With enough push and shove, Bokuto rolled off Tsukishima and sat up on the ground, rubbing his eyes like a child. But a strangely endearing one, at least. Kuroo slid off as well but continued to grip Kageyama’s shoulders, staring at him like he had just seen a ghost.

“Where have you two _been_?!” Akaashi asked, dropping to his knees in front of them all. _Guess this reunion’s going to be on the ground, like children. So much for maturity,_ Tsukishima thought. “It’s been _days_ and both of you just disappeared without a trace! And Tsukishima, your brother too-“

“He’s safe,” Tsukishima said, rubbing his neck to wipe away Bokuto’s tears. “We’re all okay.”

Concern was still evident in the other man’s face but Kuroo spoke first. “Dude, we even went to your guys’ houses but none of you were there. Where did you _go_?”

Tsukishima and Kageyama glanced at each other, both seeming to simultaneously take a deep breath.

“A bro…trip.”

“A what?” Three voices chimed in at the same time.

“We went…on a bro…trip,” Kageyama explained, the strain in his voice clearly obvious. “It was really impromptu and…and Tsukishima’s brother came with so we’re all okay and…yeah…sorry we didn’t call.”

The five of them sat there in complete silence, the two men holding their breath and praying that their coworkers would just take it. They had no clue what to tell them; they had no story that would make _sense_. But when they told Akiteru, it was him who had suggested the idea of an out-of-the-blue bro trip, forcing not just him and Tsukishima but also Kageyama into close quarters just so that they could all get along. (It covered up the story of Tsukishima apparently decking Kageyama in the face.) As much as both Tsukishima and Kageyama wanted to deny that they could ‘get along now’, they both agreed that if anything, that was the best story to go with.

“Tsukishima,” Akaashi said slowly, and the writer tried to not look at the other man straight in the face. “You do realize that we would have written missing person reports for all three of you by the end of this week if we hadn’t seen that your cars were gone?”

“Our cars?” The writer repeated.

“Yeah,” Bokuto said, his tears subsiding and he was slumped over on his crossed legs, looking at the two of them. “You didn’t have your cars in the drives so we figured you guys did just go somewhere but like… _really_ man? Without a call? If you guys really needed the vacation, you should’ve just talked to me.”

The Chief looked so heartbroken about them not even bothering to tell him about their trip that Tsukishima felt legitimitely guilty.

“Tsukishima,” Akaashi pressed, “it’s _protocol_ that you at least bring to our attention when you’re going to be missing for even a few days-“

“Hey, it’s my fault too, you know.” A rough voice piped up and the group looked at Kageyama who was glaring sourly at the ground. “I…I wanted to go on the trip too and I wasn’t really thinking.”

Tsukishima bit the inside of his cheek.

“So don’t just blame it on Tsukishima. I mean, yeah, his brother was in on it too but it’s also my fault. Yell at me too.”

Akaashi sighed, rubbing his temples while Bokuto looked down dejectedly. “No, _no,_ Kageyama. We’re not yelling at either of you. We’re just…we were _very worried_. You two aren’t just are employees, you know that right? You two are our friends. Our friends and our family and if you just disappear, it’s like losing two very important people. Can you understand that we were just scared? We’re not blaming you for anything.”

The two of them nodded their heads. Tsukishima could understand that, absolutely. He knew that they deserved the scolding, hell, they probably deserved to be fired if it wasn’t for the fact that these were guys he had known since his university years. But he still ran his fingers through his hair and exhaled.

“We’re sorry. We really are. There’s…no easy way to explain it except that we’re alright and we swear we’re not going to do that again.” He spoke as earnestly as possible but it didn’t seem to have worked because Akaashi simply looked at him with a dubious expression. Tsukishima could feel the sweat begin to form at his neck.

“But what could _possibly_ have distracted you guys for a whole week straight that you couldn’t even think to give a call? Hell, Tsukishima, a _text_ would’ve sufficed! Something to show that you two were still alive!”

Though Akaashi had assured them that he wasn’t yelling, he was still doing a damn good job at making Tsukishima wish that a hole would appear in the ground where he sat, allowing him to drop to hell where he belonged.

“I-“ Tsukishima faltered. He had nothing to say. He had no story, no reason, and by the looks of it, neither did Kageyama. It was silent between the five of them, two of them scrambling up lies, one trying to sort through the lies, and two simply sitting around moping.

“Bad phone connection,” Kageyama finally cut in, sounding breathless and desperate. “We…went hiking.”

“Hiking.”

The two dutifully nodded.

“You two? Went hiking together?” Akaashi sounded as if he did not believe their story for a single second and though it wasn’t a straight up lie, he had no reason to.

Tsukishima nodded. “With my brother.”

Bokuto muttered something incomprehensible about hiking trips and Kuroo reached over to pat the chief’s arm as Akaashi folded his arms, a skeptical look on his face. “Where did Akiteru take you so randomly that you guys just went _hiking_?”

“Mount Fuji-“

“Nikko-“

The two men looked at each other immediately, the argument visible in their eyes. _Mount Fuji, Kageyama, really?_ Tsukishima thought in exasperation, seeing the desperation in the intern’s eyes.

But Akaashi just rolled on. “You guys went to Mount Fuji _and_ Nikko? In a week?”

“Akaashi…” Tsukishima started, stealing himself up to start bullshitting the biggest lie of the century. However, his saving grace was Bokuto, practically falling into Akaashi’s arms.

“ _Keiji,_ look at them, they’re tired and beat and so are we, okay? Stop interrogating them, I’m getting more jealous by the minute hearing about their bro trip!”

_Thank you, Bokuto, thank you so fucking much._

Akaashi shot the two of them another dubious glance before sighing, rubbing his face. Tsukishima and Kageyama shared a mental sigh of relief because they knew that if anyone, Akaashi would be the hardest to get their story by. Luckily, Bokuto was not that skeptical.

“Alright. I’m sorry, I’m just… It’s just a very irresponsible thing you guys did as two grown adults. This isn’t college anymore, guys. We can’t take random trips just for the hell of it.”

“We know,” Tsukishima and Kageyama said at the same time Bokuto let out a loud ‘they knoooww!’ But that must’ve been a perfectly find ending for the conversation because Akaashi simply surged forward and wrapped his arms around Tsukishima’s neck, hugging him tightly. He then felt Kageyama squished against his back as well and two warm figurers against his side and he realized that they were having just one massive group hug on the ground. As much as he didn’t want to admit it…it was quite nice.

“Man, you should’ve told me you guys were going on a bro trip,” Kuroo said dejectedly, face pressed against Tsukishima’s arm. The writer was tempted to snort. “I would’ve joined you in a heartbeat.”

“Yeah!” Bokuto suddenly chimed in. “I wanna go on a trip too. You know what, we should _all_ go on a trip. Haven’t we all been a bit too stressed lately?”

_Far too stressed, Bo. You don’t even know._

“Bokuto-san-“

“Nah, Akaashi, let’s do it. Let’s all go on vacation for a week. But like, any vacation. A bro trip with _all of us!_ ”

The chief sounded so excited that Tsukishima didn’t want to burst his bubble by telling him that a bro trip with the five of them sounded horrifying. But the more he thought about it, he realized that yes, maybe even the smallest of vacations was long overdue among them all. Working with friends made one’s job seem so much more fun, but in the end work was still work. They could all do with a bro trip of sorts.

“Where would we go?” Akaashi asked curiously, no more wariness in his voice. Even Kageyama had craned his neck to look over at the chief. They all wanted some time off.

Bokuto hummed contemplatively. “Kyoto? That’s always a nice place to go to. Hakone? Hot springs?”

“Does it matter where we’re going? It’s a bro trip. As long as we’re hanging out, right?”

Everyone stopped to look at Tsukishima in surprise when he spoke, no doubt trying to register his words properly. The writer tried to look as blasé as possible. Maybe he was getting _too_ soft. Maybe Yamaguchi was at fault for literally grabbing his life by the roots and shaking until the fruits fell. Tsukishima felt far too willing to just spend time with these people, this _family_ away from family, and even if it was through some stupid bro trip to a bar down the street, he was down for it all.

_Spend the time you can with them now_ , he thought, tuning out the exclamations that Bokuto made as he slapped Tsukishima’s shoulder. _You never know where they’re going to end up one day._

“-cutest thing I ever heard,” Kuroo was saying when he tuned back in, rolling his eyes at Bokuto’s words. “Didn’t know you had it in you, Tsukishima, but I agree. I don’t care where as long as it’s with you guys. You too, Kageyama, stop looking at me like that.”

“I’m not looking like anything!”

“You look like I ran over your cat or someth-“

“I’m _not!_ ”

Akaashi clapped his hands once. “Alright, everyone up. Let’s do this like proper adults on our feet, how ‘bout? Also, we haven’t gotten much work done whatsoever, worried silly about you two, so it’s about time we got started on something productive.”

The group quickly got to their feet at Akaashi’s request, Bokuto finally realizing that his drink had seeped into the desk and was probably going to leave stains. A majority of his paperwork was successfully ruined.

“You two,” Akaashi said, picking up some of the fallen papers and placing them back into Bokuto’s dejected hands, “Also need to get back to worry. Just because you took a vacation and we’re all planning on taking one doesn’t mean you get an easy pass out of work. We’re behind a whole week and you _will_ be doing overtime.”

“Yes, Akaashi,” Kageyama and Tsukishima said in unison.

The man nodded. “Good. Now hop to it, okay? Seriously, there needs to be major work getting done today, no excuses whatsoever. I expect cover ideas made up and ran by Kuroo _tonight_ , Kageyama, and _several_ articles in the making, Tsukishima.”

The two were about to walk out of the door following Kuroo when a hand landed on Tsukishima’s arm lightly, causing him to stop. It was Akaashi, the stern expression slightly dissolved.

“But really. I’m glad to see you guys back and safe.”

Tsukishima smiled. “Thanks. Glad to be back.”

Bokuto gave him a brilliant smile from behind his desk, giving him a thumbs up. It was something simple and a bit silly, getting a thumbs up from someone for showing up after disappearing for a week, but it was very Bokuto.

Without any more dawdling, they followed the designer out of the office.

“Seeeeriously,” Kuroo practically whined as soon as Bokuto’s door closed behind them, rounding on the two coworkers with a deep pout. “You guys just _left_? So uncool. You _have_ to take me with you next time.”

“There’s not going to be a next time,” Tsukishima said flatly, but couldn’t help but watch Kuroo in amusement as he all but dragged himself to his desk and threw his body into his chair. “We’re never going on a bro trip again, right Kageyama?”

“Huh? Oh. Yeah.” The intern glanced up from his own desk where he was turning on the computer with a slightly lost expression. Tsukishima felt bad. The poor guy had been abducted and tortured to death’s door and in a week’s time, he was being forced to focus on work again. If Tsukishima had his way, he would’ve made Kageyama to stay at home for a bit longer. Maybe get a therapist to just talk about things. But to not make any matters worse, here they both were, and Tsukishima could only hope that Kageyama wouldn’t break down randomly any time soon.

Kuroo spun to look at the two of them. “So? Where’d you go? What did you do?”

“None of your business,” Tsukishima said, but it had no bite.

“Aww, come on, Tsukishima. Don’t be like that~ I want to know what it was like going on a bro trip with _Tsukishima_ and _Kageyama_. Was it hard? Did you two get along?”

“No, we didn’t,” Kageyama said in the same tone Tsukishima had spoken in earlier. “There was a lot of fighting and I still have bruises.”

_Not wrong._

Kuroo laughed, shaking his head. “Wow, that must have been wild. You two don’t seem like you’re at each other’s throats now, though. Better, yeah?”

Neither of them answered, simply letting the designer come up with his own answer. But when Tsukishima shifted to face Kuroo, intending to ask him about their previous novel project, he was confronted with Kuroo’s shocked expression.

“Woah,” the taller man said, eyes flickering between Kageyama and Tsukishima.

The writer frowned. “What?”

“You guys must’ve _really_ sorted your feelings out.”

The odd statement literally jolted both the writer and intern in their seats, making them stare at Kuroo in horror. “ _What?_ ”

Kuroo pointed with both hands, fingers aimed at their wrists. Both men looked down to see two bracelets that had been gifted to them by the same person, made for the same reason. A shiny black stone with a dotted surface, representing stars. “You guys got matching bro bracelets and _everything_!”

\-------------

“This is ridiculous.”

“I _know_. You need to get a new design.”

“What the- _me_? Fucker, I’ve had this bracelet literally _months_ longer than you had yours.”

“So what? Get a new one.”

“These stars represent _Yamaguchi!_ ”

“Tough luck. Get a new one.”

“I’m going to take your knife and shove it up your-“

There was a quick pounding on the door and Bokuto’s voice wafted through. “Tsukishima? Kageyama? Uh, look, guys, I know you’re like, tight bros and all that now, but sharing a bathroom is still kinda weird. Plus, I really gotta go.”

The two shared panicked glances, both mortified and horrified at the implications their boss was making.

“Yo? Seriously guys, I _really_ gotta go!”

“Ask Yachi for a new design tomorrow?”

“Fine. But I’m keeping the stars.”

“Whatever. Fine. Deal.”

“Deal.”

“GUYS!”

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :DD The end! The end, folks I actually had to write down the words 'the end' and let me tell you, my breath actually hitched. Can you believe we hit the end of this story? This, honestly, was a _very_ surreal moment for me. 
> 
> **But don't leave yet, we've still got more ;)**
> 
> Ta!!  
> Juni~


	19. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To all the readers, reviewers, kudos-ers, betas,  
> To all the people who read in class, who read in work, who read in comfort and in their rooms,  
> To all the people who cried, who laughed, who screamed, who gasped or even just stared in shock,  
> To all the spirits, the mortals and the ones that are still finding their Reason,  
> To all the ones that supported me as this fic came to life,
> 
> Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

 

“What did you think?” Tsukishima asked curiously as the two men stepped out of the car, their feet crunching on the fallen leaves underneath. Kageyama closed the passenger side door, still flipping through the book in his hands, a vaguely amused expression his face.

“It’s alright.” That was Kageyama speak for ‘good.’ The intern-turned-assistant-designer glanced at the front cover, fingers lightly tracing a few of the shapes. “I think this part is better.”

“Yeah, well, shut up,” Tsukishima said with a lack of malice in his tone. He wasn’t going to argue, however, because he agreed that the cover looked absolutely brilliant. It was, surprisingly, one of the best things Kageyama had ever created to date. 

They walked towards the edge of trees while the sun dipped slowly beyond the horizon. It was a Thursday after work, a lazy day, and one of routine. Tsukishima stuck out his hand, the large tumbler of coffee offered back to Kageyama in exchange for the book.

“Oh, not yet,” the designer said, handing the book back. “He’s on shift tonight.”

“Ah, right,” Tsukishima said with a short nod, understanding completely. He retracted his hands and carefully held the hot coffee and book on opposite sides of his body, just in case there’d be secondary flailing.

Stepping into the forest, Tsukishima was reminded once more just how beautiful it was despite its reputation. The forest was awash with colour, flowers and trees flooded with waning sunlight that made it seem like it was a spectacle of light.

 _The silence makes it mesmerizing_ , he had concluded long ago.

Within seconds, there was a loud rustle of sound and Tsukishima habitually stepped away, keeping the coffee far from the small body cannonballing into his coworker’s chest.

“KAGEYAMAAAAA!” Hinata shrieked, nuzzling his face into his partner’s chest, the two of them lucky that Kageyama was so used to the greeting by now that they no longer fell over flat. “You’re here!”

“Of course I’m here, dumbass,” Kageyama said, still slightly wheezing at the impact. He was already wrapping his arms around Hinata in greeting. “I told you that two days ago that I’d be coming on Thursday.”

“I _knooooow_ ,” Hinata said, popping his head up to swiftly plant a kiss on his lips, pulling back with a grin. Kageyama turned a bright red, glancing at Tsukishima in mortification, and the writer grimaced and looked away with a roll of his eyes. Hinata had been too fast for them both. “But I’m still happy to see you anyway!”

Kageyama let out a ‘tch,’ a mannerism that he had picked up from Tsukishima, regretfully. “You say that every time I come. Hasn’t it worn off by now?” He spoke pointedly but Tsukishima could see the redness in his ears. _Sap_.

“Nope!” Hinata crowed, sidling closer, chin practically resting on Kageyama’s chest as he looked up at him with wide and excited eyes. “I’m on shift tonight! Do you have your coffee?”

“Ah, yeah.” Kageyama looked up at Tsukishima and the writer immediately handed it over, glad to have it off his hands. “Thanks.”

Tsukishima turned away, not intending to see any more of the grossness that was Kageyama being affectionate. “I’m heading to the Center now. See you guys tomorrow. “

“Tell them I said hey.”

“Sure.”

“Byyyyyyyyye Tsukishimaa!”

He left the two behind the foliage, making his way to the station with ease. By this point, it was second nature to know where to go. The trolley slid to a smooth stop in front of him and soon, he was on his way.

The Center was just like how it was the first time he saw it and he assumed it’d stay the same. Tall and majestic, yet filled with people of all sorts of backgrounds and personalities, Karasuno Recruitment Center continued to be Tsukishima’s _third place_. Away from home, away from work, this was another place he felt comfortable in.

And ultimately, it _was_ home. Home was where the heart was, people said, and as cheesy as it sounded, it was completely right. He might’ve still had his heart, but somewhere inside the Center was someone who held it.

“Hey Tsukishima!” Saeko was the first person to greet him from her spot in the open living room, sprawled on a cushion and eating snacks. “How’s it going? Party’s later when Hinata gets back.”

“It’s going,” Tsukishima replied giving the customary wave. “And I know. Thanks.” She flashed him a smile before returning her attention to her food. He moved quickly through the center.

He passed the weaponry, peeking in and waving when Nishinoya and Asahi noticed him, looking up from their work. “Heeey, Tsukishima! You wanna test that for me later?” The smaller recruiter jerked his chin at a long and slender handle that was partly hidden under some rags. A thick blade tapered into a smaller handle. It was practically a spirit machete.

“Sure,” he said, eyeing it in interest. “See you guys later.”

“Thanks! See you!”

Narita and Kinoshita greeted him with smiles as they came out of Ennoshita’s office and the other spirit gave him a nod of greeting while still immersed in his paperwork. Passing by the back entrance, he saw Suga brutally tearing into Tanaka as they trained, the two of them sweating up a storm but still sparring relentlessly. Tsukishima had been getting better with receiving less hits on his body. He could proudly say that he could fight almost as well, if not better, than some spirits in the spirit world. Yamaguchi liked to insist that he was just as good as Suga himself but Tsukishima was fully aware that that was a false statement. The amount of times he’d fallen on his ass with a blade at his throat was proof of that.

Daichi was stepping out of a hallway with Kiyoko and Yachi at his sides, discussing something and not wanting to interrupt, Tsukishima simply gave them a nod as he stepped past, hearing ‘food’ and ‘decorations’ erupting from an excited-Yachi’s mouth.

Today was a very important day at Karasuno. They were going to be celebrating a day that normally wasn’t really practiced in the spirit world. It had many of them excited, but the focus of the party was blissfully unaware.

“Hey,” Tsukishima said as he slid open the door that led into Yamaguchi’s room. Said spirit was at his desk with his now-longer hair tied back in a quick ponytail. He was wearing one of the sweatshirts that Tsukishima had gotten from the mortal world and dipped for him, a baggy blue sweatshirt with a dinosaur on it. It was childish but Yamaguchi seemed to love it regardless.

Yamaguchi jumped up from his seat, surprise etched on his face before his expression smoothed out into one of happiness. “Hey!” He said, getting up and brushing his pants off. Tsukishima glanced at the desk and saw that it was filled with stones, valuable gems and small instruments off to the side used for decorating, chipping and cutting. “You’re here!”

They met in the middle of the room, sharing a tight hug and a brief kiss. “Yeah," Tsukishima said, gaze still on the table. “What are you doing?”

“I’m trying out one of Yachi’s hobbies,” he explained, taking Tsukishima’s hand and guiding him to the desk. “Making jewelry, kind of. I’m just trying to put pictures on rocks, really.”

Tsukishima reached out and lightly brushed a dark stone. It was just a normal Japanese character and he smiled when he read ‘peace’ on one rock and on the one next to it, ‘happiness.’ Two wishes, both coming true. “They look good.”

“You think?” Yamaguchi said, happiness colouring his tone as he picked up a few of his creations. “I’m slowly getting there. I’ve just been working for a while; there’s not much to do here anymore.”

He was right. The recruiters at Karasuno Recruitment Center no longer _recruited_ , especially with Yamaguchi in the building. Those who were suicidal that came into the forest trying to find release were instead talked to by whoever was on duty. The point was to just talk to the mortal, the recruiter pretending like they were either a hallucination or a dream, and try to convince them that a life after death was not guaranteed and that even if one had to live forever in ‘happiness,’ it wasn’t always worth it. If the recruiter succeeded and the mortal left, it was a job well done.

Many times, however, the mortal would pass out due to shock of coming face to face with a ‘ghost.’ Then, Yamaguchi, who was now an ‘on call’ recruiter, would come over and touch them.

It had been a shot in the dark with an unsuspecting mortal but surprisingly, it worked. Yamaguchi’s power to heal was not limited to actually pulling the vengeful spirit back from a spectre, but also destroying the beginning of one within a normal mortal. The mortals woke up in the middle of the forest, disoriented, but seemingly much more confident in attempting to live their life once more.

So now the recruiter was stuck with odd calls every once in a while, and with nights and days that stretched for long periods of time without much to do. He had been picking up hobbies rapidly with Tsukishima’s help, and now he was trying out stone art.

“Yeah, I think they look nice,” Tsukishima said, before turning to face him. He stuck out his hand, the book held out. “I have something for you.”

Yamaguchi looked at the book in surprise, rewrapped in the cloth that it was originally in. He took it carefully, looking up at Tsukishima with questions in his eyes. “Is this from the mortal world too? What for?”

“Your birthday.”

The spirit jerked a bit, staring at him in shock. Tsukishima could see the confusion, surprise and appreciation flicker on his face all at once. He had wanted to give Yamaguchi this present before the surprise party later, his gift a little too valuable to be something easily handed over in public.

“You knew?”

“Why wouldn’t I have?”

“Who did you ask?” Yamaguchi asked curiously.

The mortal shrugged. “Suga. He said that you guys celebrate death days more than birthdays and that’s only if you even bother to remember what day it is in the mortal world. But I figured I would because, you know,” he pulled out his phone and shook it, “calendars.”  

Yamaguchi chuckled a bit, tucking a stray hair behind his ear before nodding. “Yeah…I haven’t celebrated my birthday in such a long time. I really appreciate this though, you didn’t have to.”

Tsukishima shrugged and nodded, sticking his hands into his pockets as he watched Yamaguchi study the cloth it was wrapped in. “I wanted to. I mean, I read you my stuff all the time but I figured you’d want to keep something actually published. I’ve been working on it for a while.” He spoke nonchalantly, trying to hide the anticipation in his voice. He had worked _very_ hard on that book and even had Kageyama’s help. Truthfully, his secret project had come together so nicely, he was excited to see what Yamaguchi would think of it.

“This is so cool, Tsukki,” Yamaguchi said, eagerness in his voice as he quickly started unwrapping the book. “Which story is it?” He asked, before his fingers immediately slowed after pulling the last flap away from the book’s cover, revealing it.

It was a normal bound book, hardcover with a dust jacket on it. The entire thing was coloured black and in the center there was a splotch of azure that looked like it was painted on by a brush. A white, sketched image of a trolley was on top of that. Below the image, in white letters that contrasted the black background, read the words: MOONLIGHT STATION. At the bottom of the book was Tsukishima’s name.

“This is…?” Yamaguchi asked in confusion, trailing off as he looked around the book, seeing no blurb in the back and only inky blackness. It was very simple and minimalistic, but Tsukishima and Kageyama thought that it was very fitting. When Kageyama first pitched him the idea, Tsukishima thought it was stupid at first. But after looking at the first draft of the designer’s idea, he had come to like it.

“Open it up,” Tsukishima urged, keeping his hands in his pockets in case he was tempted to pull them out and wring his fingers. Yamaguchi looked up at him, confused, before quickly flipping open the book. When his eyes landed on the first paragraph, reading intently, he gasped, colour flooding his cheeks.

“Tsukki, this is…”

 _Us,_ Tsukishima wanted to say, watching Yamaguchi practically fall backwards to sit on his bed, eyes glued to the pages with a mesmerized look, hungrily eating the words. The writer knew exactly what Yamaguchi was reading; he’d read those words repeatedly until they were written to perfection, as was his way. It was a prologue but it was short, enough for Yamaguchi to know exactly what it was about at a first glance.

‘ _The mortal did not know he was simply a ‘mortal.’ To himself, he knew that he was a human. He knew that he had a body, a mind, maybe a soul and most definitely he knew he had feelings. These were all qualifications of being a person, but he didn’t know that there was a way he could qualify as a mortal._

_It wasn’t until he met a spirit with trembling hands that gripped a weapon meant to kill did he realize that he wasn’t alone. The spirit was nervous yet kind, with a heart that was too big for the world. It was this trait that caused the gods to want him to stay for just a little longer. Maybe for eternity._

_It was then, under the sign of an unexpected train station under the darkness of the woods, did the mortal learn another secret of the universe.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **PLEASE READ!**
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> We've finally reached the end and I'm absolutely blown. This has been an absolute adventure from the very start of this fic and by start I mean the _planning_ stage. Yes, a month outside of writing this fic was actually dedicated to just making sure this fic had its skeleton and structure. 
> 
> I can't be any more grateful to those of you who have stuck with me from the beginning to the end, and even those who have hopped on somewhere in the middle. You've shared this journey with me and truthfully, it means the absolute world. 
> 
> This is the first long fic or story I've ever finished before in my life and to me, this is a milestone and a personal accomplishment. So to those of you who have watched this story grow and bloom into what it has become now, I offer you my deepest thanks. 
> 
> This may be the end of Moonlight Station, but for me it's a beginning. <3  
> Juni~


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